


Travel by Candlelight

by SpaceWaffleHouseTM



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Adventure, Angst, Eventual Smut, F/M, Fluff, Luke occasionally pops up, Reylo endgame, Stardust AU, Virgin Ben Solo, Virgin Rey, an ungodly amount of it, background stormpilot, bed sharing, beginning Ben/Phasma, fake dating (sorta), sweet boy Ben
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-27
Updated: 2019-01-06
Packaged: 2019-07-18 09:21:46
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 75,206
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16115483
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SpaceWaffleHouseTM/pseuds/SpaceWaffleHouseTM
Summary: A philosopher once asked, are we human because we gaze at the stars, or do we gaze at them, because we are human?In which Ben journeys to find a fallen star to impress the woman he loves, but winds up with more than he bargained for when the star turns out to be everything he didn't expect.





	1. A Fallen Star

**Author's Note:**

> I've been meaning to write this for a while and for the longest time it just sat in my drafts, but now it's here so hopefully this works.

To put it plainly, Ben Solo was a damned fool. How else did one explain him walking around town close to midnight with flowers and his heart in his hands, and not a chance in hell of succeeding? Still, as he approached the red brick home of the woman he loved, his hopes never wavered. Not even though a snowball stood a better chance in hell. 

While he was aware of the face that she didn’t care for him the same way he cared for her, he simply didn’t care. He was perhaps a touch too infatuated with her to even notice. 

He clutched the flowers tightly in one hand, and bent down to the pavement to pick up a stone. He gave the little gray pebble a few tosses in his hand before he hurled his arm back, and threw it at the second story window. 

What followed was the faint sound of women giggling, then some shuffling around, and at last the window opened. The blonde he’d had his heart set on for what was likely far too long appeared at the windowsill, her white lace sleeve draping loosely from her arm as she pushed out the glass frame, and looked out onto the ground. He could hear her voice calling out, “Armitage?” as she searched the street below for the figure of Ben’s far richer neighbor. 

He could see the hope in her eyes slowly fade into disappointment as she realized that Ben was not in fact her other, more put together and definitely the possessor of more money than Ben would see in his lifetime. But he didn’t let it deter him as he held up the flowers in his hand. “Um, no, it’s Ben.”

“Did I leave something at your shop?”

Ben shook his head. “No, I just thought I’d bring--” he was spared from having to finish his sentence by the sudden appearance of a steel fencing blade slicing the heads off of the flowers he’d picked for the woman standing in the window above. 

“Ben Solo,” a familiar voice sneered. “Shop boy by day, peeping Tom by night. Do wonders ever cease?”

“Armitage,” he snarled in response, turning to see the ginger-haired weasel pointing a blade at him threateningly while his eyes wandered to the flowers he’d managed to knock to the ground. 

“Were those for Phasma?”

The woman in question scoffed. “Hux, that’s enough.”

Ben shuffled his feet in the dirt. “Yes, they were.”

Hux chuckled as he put his sword back into his sheath, then he looked up at the window. “She’ll never want you, surely you know that by now.”

A small part of Ben knew that, perhaps, but the overwhelming majority was convinced that somehow, someday she’d fall in love with him. At the very least, he wouldn’t stop trying, which is what made him content to stand his ground, and glare at Hux as threateningly as he could. All this earned him was another laugh, then Hux lunged forward, and before Ben could truly process just what had happened, he was on the ground.

“You’ve always been useless in a fight, Ben,” Hux hissed as he brushed off his hands on his jacket, then looked down at the fabric in disdain. “Actually, I’m having trouble remembering if there was anything you were ever good at.”

“Armitage, that’s  _ enough, _ ” Phasma said, though she was stifling a giggle as she turned back to her friends. The laughter didn’t phase Ben, who was simply relieved to see that she’d mustered up any concern for his well being, which was only made better when she turned back to him with worry in her eyes. “Are you alright?”

Ben nodded, then Phasma promptly told Armitage she’d see him tomorrow, and shut the door as the giggling resumed amongst the women. He jumped to his feet as the ginger shot him a glare, and walked off into the night— mercifully in the opposite direction from which Ben had come. 

Hanging his head low in disappointment, Ben stepped over his destroyed flowers, and walked back toward the home he shared with his father. Han had been so proud of him when he’d said he was going to go out and profess his love for Phasma, he’d even helped him to pick the flowers himself, despite his aging body. He’d been so delighted to see his son interested in anyone that he’d jumped at the chance to help him, offering every piece of advice he’d known on how to seduce a woman. 

Evidently, none of it had worked. 

A groan escaped Ben’s lips as he looked up at the sky. It was a clear night; completely cloudless, and he could see all of the stars in the night sky, though some were lost to the haze of the galaxy. He paused for a moment on his walk, just taking them all in as he stared up into the depths of space, glossing over white ball of light after white ball of light, until he landed on one that stuck out. 

  
Closing his eyes, he kept the image of that star in his mind, and wished quietly for some sort of good luck, for the woman of his dreams to tell him she loved him. It seemed pointless, really, for if the stars really listened, wouldn’t one have responded to him by now? His eyes opened, and he shook his head as he scoffed at himself for being so foolish before resuming his short walk home. 

Mercifully, by the time he arrived back home, Ben’s father had already gone to sleep, and the soft sound of his snoring drifted from his bedroom as Ben quietly trudged through their frontrooms to his own place of rest. He flopped down face first on his bed, keeping his face buried in his pillow for several minutes as his embarrassment washed over him. How could he have been so foolish? He’d been an idiot to try and fight Hux in front of Phasma, who of course would never love him as long as the ginger haired man remained his rival. 

He just needed to get Phasma alone, get the chance to spend time with her properly and let her see what she was missing out on by not giving him the time of day. A smile slowly spread on his face, then Ben sat up in his bed, and began to strip off his clothes to change into his nightwear. It would be a long day tomorrow, and an even longer night.

The next morning, Ben woke up to the sound of his father fluttering about in the kitchen, the smell of smoke from where he’d undoubtedly burnt their bacon filling his nostrils as he sighed contentedly. He relaxed into the pillow for a moment, letting the light filter in through his closed eyelids until he was ready to open them and face the day. That moment came a bit more quickly than he anticipated, however, when he remembered he had work that day, and with the sun up as high in the sky as it already was, he was late. 

“Shit,” Ben muttered, then he quickly rolled out of bed, and tore off his nightshirt, tossing it cavalierly on his bed before he rushed to his wardrobe, and pulled out his work clothes—or more accurately, ripped them from the closet—before throwing them on in a hurry. 

Not a minute later he burst from his bedroom to find his father already sitting down at their kitchen table. Han stared at him with his mouth full of food as he watched his son grab his things—an apron and a pen—hurriedly from a nearby shelf. “You want some breakfast?”

“No, I’m late,” Ben replied, trying to sound apologetic despite the immense time constraint he was now faced with. “Sorry, father.”

His father waved his apology aside, then finished swallowing his food before he spoke again. “How’d it go last night? I fell asleep before you got back.” There was a hint of mischief in his voice, which was only worsened as he spoke again. “I take it it went well then?”

“Father!” Ben cried, horrified by his father’s suggestion, but his father only laughed obnoxiously in response. 

“Get to work, kid,” he told him. “Make money, but seriously, Ben?”

“Yeah?”

“How did it go?”

Ben hesitated for a few seconds before giving his father a nod, and replying, “Fine, everything went fine… It’s… It’s going well.” Whether or not Han believed the lie, he didn’t stick around to find out, instead, he was out the door like a rocket, heading down the street to the shop where he worked as fast as his feet would carry him. 

By the time he arrived at work, he was embarrassingly out of breath, and his boss was glaring at him as he ran through the door to find a line of customers already needing his assistance. He all but jumped behind the counter, muttering a quick apology for why he was so late before he began to ask the first customer what he could get for them. 

The afternoon passed in a blur, with things becoming increasingly dull and boring as the hours went on. He was almost running on autopilot after having to repeat the same processes, the same exact steps over and over again as he worked. But what exactly had he been expecting? Every single day working in the shop passed like this. Each time he went to work, he was wondering if this was all there’d ever be to his life by the end of it, and by the time Phasma walked into the shop, skipping to the front of the line, he was extremely close to quitting his job. 

“Hello, Ben,” she said sweetly, batting her eyes at him as the other customers looked on in shock and horror at the audacity this woman had to cut the line as she had. 

It took him a second to figure out how to move his mouth again as he stared at her. “Phasma… What are you doing here?”

She didn’t answer him directly. Instead she began to spout off her order of what she needed from the shop, and Ben gave her nods as he began to grab those things for her off of the shelf behind him, ignorant of the glares he received from his boss. By the time she finished, Ben’s arms were full of sacks of flour and potatoes, and he was staring at her expectantly. “Will that be all?”

“Yes, thank you,” she replied, giving him a smile that to the eyes of everyone else seemed rather forced, but Ben—enamored as he was—didn’t even notice. 

Ben returned her smile as he adjusted her groceries in his arms. “Would you allow me to see you tonight?” he asked, lowering his voice slightly as a small piece of him remembered that they were in public. 

Phasma shook her head. “No, I’m afraid not, I’ll be busy this evening.” She picked at a piece of her dress, then glanced back up at him, undoubtedly noticing the defeated look in his eyes. “But I wouldn’t mind it if you walked me home?”

He nodded eagerly, following her out the door before anyone could say a word to stop him, though another small part of him was definitely aware of the holes his boss’s eyes were boring into the back of his skull as he followed Phasma out of the shop, and onto the street toward her home. “So…” He thought over everything his father had taught him, advice he’d ignored in the moment out of embarrassment, but was now wishing he’d paid more attention to. “When can I see you then, if not tonight?”

“Oh,” Phasma sighed, her voice insincere as she spoke. “I don’t know, Ben, my life keeps me rather occupied.”

“Okay, so perhaps the late hours of the night, then?” 

“Ben! What would people say? You know how they love to talk!” Phasma shouted as they approached her street, and the house whose door Ben had tapped on the night before loomed in their view. 

“No one has to know it’s us, we can wear coats.”

“Coats? Ben, it’s nearly spring!”

“Exactly! It’s still cold enough to wear a coat,” he explained. “No one ever has to know we were together if we don’t want them to.”

Phasma feigned a giggle beside him, though it was one he barely noticed the intent behind as she gave him another great sigh. “Oh, I don’t know, Ben. It’s just too risky for people like you and… people like me…” Her voice trailed off as they approached her house. 

“What do you mean?” Ben asked innocently, oblivious to her meaning as they reached her front door. 

“Ah, we’ve arrived,” Phasma said, sounding relieved, but slightly bored as she opened the door, and reached for the groceries in Ben’s hands, which he gave to her one by one. When she had them all in her hands, she gave him another forced smile. “I’ll see you around, Ben.” Then she kicked the door shut, and it slammed rather harshly in his face. 

The sound made him wince slightly as he turned away from the house, though he kept it in the corner of his eyes as he trailed away back to his job. Someday he’d prove himself worthy of her. She’d see what he could be eventually. S he had to.

Unfortunately for Ben, the day only went downhill from there. The moment he got back to work, his boss told him to get lost and find somewhere else, screaming at him in his face in front of everyone in the store. Yelling at him that he was just deluding himself, and he’d never be good enough for a woman like Phasma. Ben had blinked at him in fear and disbelief as his words sank in, and some deep part of him registered that there was in fact some truth to them.

Some of the people present he could tell had been there since he’d left, just waiting for his boss to fill all their orders on his own. With his head hung in shame and embarrassment, Ben walked back to his house, leaving his apron behind with a throw over his shoulder. 

What the hell was he going to tell his father? He’d lost his job because he’d been busy chasing after a girl, and he figured based on that reason alone his dad wouldn’t exactly protest, but still he felt nervous at the idea of telling his father he’d lost his job. He began to pace around his bedroom, not even remembering to close his door as he walked about the small space trying to figure out how to tell his father he’d—

“You lost your job?” Han asked, leaning casually against the door frame with his arms crossed over his chest. 

Wincing, Ben slowly gave him a nod, and scratched the back of his head beneath his raven curls. “I… I don’t know what to say, father, I’m… I’m sorry.”

His father gave him a simple shrug, then walked into the room. “Don’t be, you’re better than that place anyway, Ben,” he assured him, patting him softly on the arm. A second later, though, his brows furrowed. 

“What?”

“Why  _ did _ you get fired, son?”

“I… I was trying to impress Phasma, so I walked her home when I still had two more hours left,” Ben said simply. 

For a moment, Han simply looked at him, thinking on what his son had said, then he burst into riotous laughter, and turned to lean against the wall for support as he wheezed from how much Ben’s troubles humored him. At least one of them found it funny, Ben supposed as he sat down on his bed and hid his face in his hands. 

Despite all his faults, his father wasn’t stupid, and after a few seconds the bed shifted as he sat down beside Ben, and placed a hand upon his knee. “Ben, I really don’t mind what you did, I think it’s honorable.”

“I’m delusional,” Ben muttered, his fingers toying with a stray thread on his trousers. “Maybe everyone’s right.”

“What do you mean, delusional, Ben?”

“Forget it,” Ben replied, then he let go of the stray thread, and stood up, only to have his father tug on his sleeve to get his attention before he could successfully walk away. 

“Ben, I know about Hux, and I can tell you first hand that every man I’ve ever known like that, has gone on to lead an unremarkable life.” He sighed as he, too pushed himself to his feet, and gripped his son by both of his arms. “Don’t give up just yet, son.”

“It’s hard not to,” Ben muttered. “He has money, he can duel better than anyone else, and he has the confidence to win her over before I can even try for her hand.”

Han frowned at him in response. “Ben, if all she cares for is your money, she may not be worth your time. Maybe it’s time to move on, there’s other women out there who would love you for  _ you _ .”

“None of them are her.”

“You’re right, they’re probably better,” his father said, then upon seeing Ben’s griefstruck expression, he sighed. “But if you’ve got your heart set on this one, then you better show her you’re worth her time. Prove to her that you have things that Hux doesn’t.”

“Like what?”

“A soul.”

“Hmm…”

“You can do that, can’t you?”

His father’s words had done little to make him feel better in the moment, but still he nodded, offered him a quiet, “yes, father,” and walked out of the room. If what his father said was true about men like Hux, then it meant he still had a chance with the woman he loved. With this in mind, Ben walked out of the house with a grin on his face, all of his money in his pocket, and a new idea in his mind. 

Ben’s first stop that afternoon was to another grocer, one across town from where he worked to save him the embarrassment of returning to the place he’d been fired from. Whilst there, he procured substantial supplies for a picnic. He rushed to grab some bread, wine, and a sizable chunk of cheese that he fit into a basket, then he ran back home to grab blankets, two warm, wool sheets of fabric that he hoped would be warm enough for him and Phasma to picnic by the wall as they looked up at the stars that night. 

Later that evening when the sun had gone down, Ben was once again standing outside of Phasma’s window chucking street pebbles at the glass. It felt like it took longer than usual for the blonde woman’s candlelight to appear, and for the pane to creak open a second later to reveal her face. Still once he laid eyes on her, Ben grinned widely, even as she groaned. 

“Ben, I told you—”

“I remember,” he replied, then before she could shut the window, he rushed forward. “But I have something for you! It’s a… It’s a surprise.” He then waited, holding his breath anxiously, then she cocked her head to the side as she looked down at him. 

“A surprise?”

“Yes, just give me the chance to show you.”

Contemplation crossed Phasma’s features, then she gave him a nod so subtle he almost thought he’d hallucinated it before she turned and closed the window. Not a second later, the candlelight within it went out, and he heard the faint sounds of her footsteps tracking through the house. He worked to keep his breathing even as Phasma walked out dressed in her nightdress and a white coat, muttering something about how it wasn’t even her birthday yet as she took his arm, and allowed him to lead her to the picnic by the wall. 

By the time they got there, the stars were out in full force, and as the two of them sat underneath the sparkling sky, Ben’s eyes searched for the star he’d wished upon the night before, finding it hidden amongst the constellations. Eventually, he found the white beacon of light, and he pointed up to it, then glanced at Phasma as she took a sip of her wine. “See that one? That one’s my favorite.”

She hummed contentedly, but did not otherwise acknowledge that he’d spoken. Instead, she took another sip of her wine, and immediately her face lit up with pleasant surprise. “Oh, lord this is the best wine I’ve ever tasted!”

“You’ve tasted wine?”

“You haven’t?”

“Well… no, I’ve just… never had the time,” Ben admitted sheepishly. “I’ve always been either working or… Just busy, I guess.”

“Ooh, I heard you lost your job today after you ran me home,” Phasma said, her gaze drifting out to the wall—which loomed tall and gray a short ways ahead of them down the hill— as she spoke. 

“Yeah, but the truth is, that shop was just wearing me down.” He looked up at the stars again, out at their vast, endless light as it beamed down on him. “I can’t see what’s out there if I’m tied down here.”

Phasma scoffed, then took another sip of her wine before she spoke again. “You sound like Hux,” she said, her voice gaining an almost dream-like quality to it. “He’s going all the way to Ipswich just to buy me a ring.”

His ears picked up on that last word immediately, and the color drained from his face as he realized what that meant. “He plans to propose?” he asked, trying not to let his voice tremble at the thought that Hux might actually wind up with Phasma instead of him. He’d been in love with her for years, since before Hux had even looked her way. If that little weasel pulled ahead of him now… well, even further than he already had…

“Yes, word is he plans to do it on my birthday.”

A week. Ben had a single week to somehow win Phasma over, and convince her that he was worth more to her than Hux was. “I take it you plan to say yes?” He followed his question with a sip of wine, hoping the alcohol within it would take the sting of what he was hearing away. 

“Well, I can’t say no, not after he traveled so far.”

Laughter left Ben, earning him an odd look from the woman sitting beside him. He shifted on the blanket, propping himself up on an elbow as he explained to Phasma that he wouldn’t stop at Ipswich. “I’d go to the farthest reaches of the earth for your hand in marriage,” he told her, and the blonde at last mustered a giggle—though he suspected it had more to do with the wine than with him. “I’d bring back diamonds, gold...Anything you asked for, and it’d be yours.”

More giggling left her then, and then her expression sobered. “Oh, Ben, you’re so charming,” she told him, and his cheeks flushed at the compliment until she finished her sentence. “But people like you, and people like me, we’re just not meant to…”

Ben put his hands up as her words became too much for him to bear, causing a lump to form in his throat as he realized she was actually outright rejecting him. “I get it,” he said, a hint of bitterness in his voice as he looked around himself for the bottle he’d brought with them. “But I think we can at least finish this wine together.”

A smirk grew on her face, then she held out her glass, and gave him a nod as he filled it. After he finished with hers, he quickly filled up his own, and the two of them sat watching the stars as they finished off the champagne, and Ben’s heart broke. The conversation quickly turned to a lull after that, and he and Phasma sat in a drunken, mildly uncomfortable silence that had them both wishing they were some place else. 

Eventually, Ben turned his gaze up to the stars, finding his favorite one again and fixing his vision on it.  _ So much for his wish coming true.  _ He knew he’d been foolish to wish upon a Star from the get go, but something about it felt even more miserably stupid in the aftermath of Phasma’s rejection. He suddenly felt a twinge if anger as he looked up at the white, twinkling light, followed by what he could almost describe as betrayal. 

Just as he moved to tear his gaze away from the sky, his white star suddenly began to move, falling down from the murky blackness of the night, glowing brighter and brighter as it grew closer to earth. Ben sat up bolt-right on the picnic blanket, barely hearing Phasma cry out that she’d seen a shooting star. “Oh, it’s beautiful,” she breathed, looking mystified beside him as she tracked the falling star on its descent to earth. 

In that moment, a rediscovered sense of hope was instilled in Ben as he recalled their conversation from a moment prior. “Is it more beautiful than a fancy ring from Ipswich?”

Phasma smirked at him from behind her champagne glass, then Ben got onto his knees as he set down his, and reached for her spare hand as the star continued to fall into the land beyond the wall. “Phasma, for your hand in marriage, I’d cross the wall and bring you back that star. It’d be yours, and I don’t know much, but I’m fairly certain that a Star is worth more than some fancy diamond.”

She thought for a moment. “My very own star…” she said, consideration in her voice, then she looked at him, saw the sincerity in his eyes, and nodded. “Very well, I’ll give you until my birthday. One week to retrieve the star, then I’m marrying Hux.” Without saying anything else, she held up her glass, and motioned for him to follow her lead. 

A grin spread on Ben’s face as he reached behind himself, sitting back down on the ground as he clinked his glass with hers, and they continued to watch the star fall. If Phasma wanted it, she sure as hell was going to get one. Armitage Hux wouldn’t know what hit him when he returned to her on her birthday with the star and his heart in his hands, and earned her hand in marriage. 

Picturing the ginger’s bitter face felt almost orgasmic, and as his favorite star continued its descent to earth, he raised his champagne glass to it, and took another sip of his drink. Perhaps wishes did come true after all. 

On the other side of the wall, Ben’s star was screaming as she careened towards the earth, her heat streaking a fire miles wide through the forest as she streamed in from the atmosphere. The falling had sent her almost numb with panic before she’d even breached the planet, and by the time she was finally approaching the ground, she felt resigned to her fate. 

When the impact was a mere seconds away, she closed her eyes, not wanting to watch herself die horrifically upon crashing into the dirt. Around her, she could smell the smoke from the fire that she’d started, and the scent became overwhelming as at long last she hit the earth violently. 

White hot pain quickly spread through her body, her own light suddenly blinding her as she cried out in pain, confusion and heat overwhelming her as she laid upon the scorched Earth. It felt like her whole body was on fire, and for someone who naturally burned at temperatures unfathomable in the sky, she reckoned that wasn’t good. 

Yet despite her immense suffering, there was some sort of mercy spared for her. The blinding white light and the heat began to fade after a few small, short, but agonizing little seconds, and she groaned as the ache in her body began to dull to a significantly more mild throbbing sensation in her leg. Whimpers left her mouth as she tried to move her leg, and was met swiftly with a sharp shock of pain that had her screaming as her head arched back. 

When the pain subsided several seconds later, she took several deep, shuddering breaths as she tried to calm herself down and get her bearings on just where she was now. More importantly, she needed to figure out exactly what the hell had happened to her. One minute she’d been happily up in the sky minding her own business, then the next she saw a small object careening toward her, and before she could stop it she was falling toward the Earth. 

The star glanced around at her surroundings, which were currently the massive crater she’d created upon her violent collision with the ground. She grimaced as she looked up at the burning hills, orange flames casting a warm glow upon her face as she took in the sights; the walls of the crater, the stars in the sky above—her brothers and sisters, whom she felt a pang in her chest for as she looked down at them. 

Would she ever see them again? She thought of a thousand questions she wasn’t sure who she’d ask as she laid there on the ground. How in the hell would she get back there? How had she gotten  _ here _ in the first place?

Out of the corner of her eye, something shone in the dim firelight, and she slowly turned her head to face the mysterious object. Rey’s jaw fell open as she looked at it, recognizing it immediately with a burning hatred in her eyes. This beautiful, ornate necklace with a colorless ruby at its center was the very thing that had knocked her out of the sky. 

 


	2. The Babylon Candle

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Back again! This one's a bit longer but so much happened and it's probably the most fun I've had writing something in a while. As always, feel free to let me know your thoughts (an author's day a comment makes) and enjoy!

It took them another five minutes to finish their wine, and once that was done, Ben packed all of the picnic supplies up and walked Phasma home in silence. Still, this time was different from all  the others. When he left her for the night, the blonde wished him a good evening, and gave him a smile laced with mischief. “You might want to get started right away,” she told him, smirking the whole time. “That star fell a good distance away, possibly further than Ipswich.”

Ben returned her facial expression as he took one of her hands in his. “Then I’ll just have to run faster than Hux, won’t I?” he asked, then he bent down, and pressed his lips gently to her hand. “Have a goodnight.”

Phasma blinked at him as he released her hand, then she gave him a nod. “You have one, too, Ben.”

His heart stuttered the entire way back to his home, and he wondered how he could possibly sleep after that. 

It occurred to him immediately that she was right. He could just start his journey now. After all, the wall was right there, just a half a mile from his home, and he didn’t truly need to wait until the morning to cross it and find Phasma her star. As soon as the idea was in his head, Ben dropped the picnic basket at his own front door, and sprinted back towards the wall, only this time he headed for a different part. 

The portion of the wall that Ben was headed for was guarded by a strange old man—whose name Ben vaguely remembered to be Yoda— who notoriously sat around in a chair all day and night just waiting for strangers to come around and try to cross it so he could yell at them. In all the eighty seven years he’d been guarding the wall, no one had ever gotten through. At least, as far as any of the townspeople knew, no one had ever passed beyond the wall. Whatever lay on the other side was a complete and utter mystery to all of the village citizens. 

And now Ben was going to attempt to cross it. 

His heart raced in his chest as he walked up to the wall, already spotting the old man in the distance as he sat in his chair. How in the hell was he going to pull this off? The guard had somehow managed to successfully turn every single person who attempted to cross away, and as Ben drew closer, he realized the man looked even older than everyone had described. If the man was as old as he looked, just what was he doing that had everyone turning back from the prospect of discovering what lay beyond the wall?

The old man’s eyes lit up with recognition the moment he spotted him, which Ben found odd, considering the two had never met, but he pressed on regardless. “Han Solo,” the old man breathed, his voice coming out in an odd sort of croak. 

Ben shook his head. “It’s Ben, actually.” His voice was somewhat sheepish as he crossed the last few steps before he thoroughly invaded the wall guard’s personal space. 

Eyes narrowing and then widening, the aged guard scoffed a delighted reply. “Oh, yes. You do look so much like your father. And I don’t suppose you intend to cross the wall as well?”

That nearly had Ben stopping in his tracks, but he ignored it in favor of his attempt to cross the wall. Phasma had given him a deadline and there was no telling just how far away that star had fallen. “I… Yes…” 

“I’m afraid I can’t let you, nobody crosses the wall,” the man replied simply. 

Ben looked beyond him, seeing nothing but a field beyond the stone structure. He looked between it and the guard for a while, then he sighed. “I just need to find something that fell over there. I promised the woman I love that I’d bring her back a fallen star.”

“Well, you won’t be bringing her back one from here, I can promise you that.” The rather short guard turned up his nose at Ben. “Now get going home, and send my regards to your father.” 

There was an eerie sense of deja vu about those words that Ben couldn’t quite place, but he ignored it in favor of swiftly plotting out his next move. The man was old, and odds were he couldn’t outrun Ben, who was certainly far faster and stronger than he was. If he were to just run straight through the gap in the wall, he’d beat him. He’d just have to run like hell first, and for Phasma, he could most certainly do that.

With this in mind, Ben gave the wall guard a nod, then he turned around, feeling the old man’s hand on his back for a good ten more seconds, then he waited until he was certain he could no longer hear his footsteps. Once the man was completely out of sight and out of mind, Ben turned a complete one eighty, and bolted straight for the wall. 

Thanks to his long legs, he lept clean over the tiny portion of the wall that still stubbornly remained standing in the one weakened section, only to find himself met with immense pain in his gut once he reached the other side. When he looked up, the old man was staring down at him shoo-ing him off like he was a common house fly. 

“Off you go,” the guard murmured, then Ben scowled at him as he tried to stand up, only to be met with another fist to the face. “They always underestimate the old ones,” Yoda grumbled as he walked away.

Ben was glaring daggers into the man’s back as he retreated to his place on the human side of the wall. He’d been so close to getting that star for Phasma, and now he feared he’d never get it. He clutched his jaw in his hand as pain shot throughout his body. He walked home grunting and groaning his misery, one hand on his jaw and the other wrapped around his gut as he held his bruises. Why he did this he wasn’t certain. It wasn’t exactly making him feel better, but he thought he might feel worse if he stopped.

His pain didn’t subside, but he stopped noticing it so much as he thought back to what the guard had said before he wounded him upon his attempt to cross the wall.  _ “I don’t suppose you intend to cross the wall as well, do you?” _

Just what had that meant? Had his father crossed the wall before him? Intended to at the very least? It occurred to Ben that he knew very little about his father’s past. There were so few stories shared about Han Solo’s youth. All he knew was that his father had been a bit of a scoundrel in his young age, courting women above his station until one night Ben appeared seemingly out of nowhere—dropped on his doorstep in the dead of night by a stranger. 

Other than that his dad was a complete mystery to him, and Ben didn’t intend to let him stay that way. 

Soon enough, his house loomed over the hill, and Ben let out a shaky breath that was an odd mix of relief and dread as he realized that the lights were still on, and his father was still awake. Good, he’d be able to confront him then. 

Ben grunted as he pushed open the door to his home, the strain the action put on his gut causing him to cry out in pain as he walked into his house. The sound got his father’s attention immediately, and from out of the master bedroom, Han came rushing out, concern in his voice as his son’s name spilled from his lips, and he took in his condition. 

“Ben, what did you do?” Han asked in disbelief as he looked over his son. 

“I made a mistake,” Ben groaned as he flopped down into one of their kitchen chairs. Another grunt left him as his father removed the hand he had supporting his jaw, and took a look at the blow that had been dealt there. 

His father winced as he looked at the damage, pressing his fingers lightly to the wound, and when he pulled them away, Ben was not happy to realize there was blood on his dad’s hands. Great, he was bleeding now, too. Han stood up straight, and wiped the blood casually on his pants, the black fabric rendering the stain invisible. “Did he get you anywhere else?” 

“He knocked the wind out of me, father, but I don’t think I’m bleeding there.”

A laugh escaped his father as he walked over to their cupboard, and opened it. “No, I wouldn’t think so, Ben.” There was a dopey grin on his face as he pulled out a washcloth from the cupboard, and brought it over to Ben before pressing it gently to his wound. “Hold this there.”

“Thanks,” Ben said, replacing his father’s hand with his own as the other man sat down beside him. 

“Now, who attacked you, exactly?”

“The wall guard, I was trying to cross the wall,” Ben said, feeling the invitation to ask his father about why he’d been at the wall coming just around the corner. 

“What the hell were you trying to cross the wall for, Ben?” Concern and curiosity laced his father’s voice, and Ben felt the door open wide for him to ask his father about his own supposed trip beyond the wall. 

Ben stared at his father, and forced himself to take a deep breath. He tried to keep his voice as even as he could, though it came out much more quietly than he intended to when he said, “I could ask you the same thing.”

His father froze at the question, his eyes unfocusing, unseeing suddenly as something that wasn’t the room he was in flashed before them. Han shook visibly as the question registered with him, and Ben leaned forward to ask him if he was alright, but was met with the hand he’d held up to stop him. “You’re nearly twenty, Ben. I…”

“What? You what?” Ben was leaning forward eagerly, practically on the edge of his seat with his injuries forgotten as he prepared to hear his father’s tale of what had gone down on his journey to the wall. 

Han took in a deep breath, then he sighed. “I need to tell you about your mother.”

Ben’s heart stopped in his chest. “You need to tell me  _ what? _ ”

Slowly, his father stood up, leaving Ben still reeling at the table as he walked past him, and back into his bedroom. The door to his room remained wide open, allowing his son an unfiltered view of his search for something he couldn’t see underneath his bed. It took him a few minutes, but eventually, Han found what he was looking for, brandishing a small basket in the air with a quiet, “Aha!” as he walked back over to the table and sat down with Ben. 

“What happened when you went to the wall, father?” Ben asked, then his father shook his head, and took his hand. 

“Before I show you what’s in here, I need to tell you a story, and it is going to sound like absolute insanity, but I need you to bare with me.”

Ben gave him a nod. “Of course, I can, but why are you telling me this now? What does my mother have to do with your journey to the wall?”

There was a pregnant pause as his father gathered his thoughts, then he let out a deep breath. “I’ll get there eventually, I promise,” he said, then swallowing nervously, he began his story. “When I was about your age, about nineteen years ago, I, too had the idea of trying to see what was beyond the wall. One night, when I was feeling particularly eager, I walked down to the wall, and managed to get the guard distracted enough to run right past him into the other side.”

Jaw dropping slightly, Ben leaned forward. “How?”

“I made him think I was leaving then I ran past him before he could realize what was happening.”

His gaze turned into a mild glare. “So that’s why he didn’t fall for it.”

“Sorry, kid. As I was saying, I ran to the other side of the wall, and at first, it was just a field like I thought, but then I walked through the trees on the far side… and you won’t believe me, Ben, but there was another world.” His father’s eyes lit up as the other side of the wall crossed in front of his unseeing eyes, and Ben shouldn’t have believed him, but he could hear it in his voice that he was telling the truth. “There was a village filled with all sorts of things you’d never believe unless you saw them.”

“Like what?”

“Magic, Ben. It was all magic,” his father replied, gesturing with his hands as if he could summon a bit of that magic just by speaking of it. “Being sold in various forms by vendors on the streets, but none of them quite caught my eye until I stumbled upon a woman selling glass flowers…” His voice trailed off, and there was a twinkle in his eye as he spoke next, “Her name was Leia. And I thought she might have been the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen.”

“Was she…?”

“Your mother? Yes. She was… But we didn’t get the chance to talk until her master left the stand to get a pint. Once he was gone, though, she sold me the flower for the small price of a kiss.”

“Master?”

“She was… in her words, ‘a princess tricked into being a witch’s slave,’ Ben. She had a chain around her ankle that she asked me to cut, but when I did, the chain just welded itself back together.”

Ben blinked his surprise at learning where he’d come from. A princess who had become a slave. It sounded like the bad ending to a fairytale. “So then what happened?”

A smirk crossed his father’s face as he answered him plainly with one word. “You.”

Brows furrowing, Ben looked at him in confusion for a second, then just as his father opened his mouth to explain his strange answer, his true meaning hit him. “Oh.”

A moment passed, most of which his father spent laughing at his son’s expense before he spoke again. “After that, I went home. I crossed back over the wall, got the most intense stink eye of my entire life from the wall guard, and I went to sleep. I thought I’d move on from the whole thing. I didn’t think I’d see any trace of the kingdom on the other side or your mother ever again.”

“But I’m guessing you did?”

Another nod. “I did indeed. Nine months after I crossed the wall, the guard showed up at my door in the dead of night with a basket, and in that basket was you.”

Ben felt his heart racing in his chest. After all this time, and all these mysteries about his own life, he finally knew about his mother. She had a name, an identity, and a story. All he was missing from her was a face. “Was there anything else?”

“That’s where this comes in,” his father said, gesturing to the basket before he opened it. “She left a note for you, that’s how I figured out what your name was. Now believe me, that was a relief to find since I didn’t know what the hell I’d call you.”

“What did it say?”

“I don’t know, I’ve never opened it,” his father said as he began to dig through the basket, his face lighting up when his eyes landed upon something he must have recognized. “Ah, here it is,” he said, then he lifted his hand out of the basket to reveal a white glass flower that shone in the dim candlelight of their home.

“Is that the flower she sold you?”

“It is.” Han held out the candle for his son, who took it with a surprised smile on his face, and stared at it like it held all the answers to every question in the world. “Sold for the price of a kiss.”

Ben laughed delightedly as he looked at the flower, then placed it on the lapel of his coat. “How do I look?”

“Dashing,” his father replied, his voice half sarcastic as he resumed his work sifting through the contents of the basket. “And here,” he pulled out a thin white chain, “Is the chain I cut from her ankle.”

Ben held out his hand, and his father slowly deposited the magical chain within his waiting palm. “Oh, wow,” he breathed as he took it in, then he pocketed it quickly as his father began to sift through the basket once more.

After a moment, Han’s face erupted into a broad grin as he pulled a piece of rolled-up paper out, and held it out to Ben. “This is the letter she addressed to you. You don’t have to share it with me if you don’t want to.”

Ben looked at the piece of paper for a moment, reading the perfect calligraphy style script that belonged to the faceless woman that was his mother. His hand shook slightly as he reached out and took the aged letter from his father’s hands. It was so fragile he feared it might break as he held it, but the little parchment held fast as he undid the binding in the center that had kept it rolled up for nineteen years. 

Breathing in deeply, Ben’s trembling fingers began to unroll it, and when he reached the bottom, a small, black candle fell onto his lap. With his spare hand, he picked it up, and inspected it curiously before setting it on the table and working on reading the letter his mother had written him. “My dearest, Ben,” he read aloud, “It is with a heavy heart that I must leave you with this letter. Please know that I have not abandoned you, and I only wanted what was best for you.

“I wanted desperately to keep you, but my master would not allow it. Otherwise, I would’ve kept you in a heartbeat. My dearest wish is that we will meet someday. The fastest way to find me is to travel by candlelight. I’ve left you with a babylon candle for this exact purpose. To use it, light it and think of me and only me. I will think of you always. 

“Love, your mother,” Ben finished, feeling tears prickle his eyes as he looked back up at his father, who looked like he, too was tempted to cry as he stared at his son. “Do you think she’s still alive?” 

“I don’t know,” Han answered him honestly. “I hope so."

Ben nodded slowly, then he took in a deep breath, and looked at the candle. “Do you have a light?”

“You want to go now?”

“Why not? If this works the way I think it will, I can be back with her in less than a minute. If she’s still trapped, don’t you think it’s time she was freed?” Ben asked, still shaken by the thought that his mother, the woman who had given him life, was in chains.

Han looked at him apprehensively for a second, then nodded as he began to investigate his pockets for signs of a match. His face lit up with relief when he found one, and presented it to Ben. His son gave him an appreciative nod, then he struck the match against the table, igniting a flame on the tip. 

“Here goes nothing,” Ben said, raising the match to his father as if it were a glass of champagne, then he grabbed the candle from the table, and tapped the match to the wick just before everything seemed to explode into bright light around him. 

Back on the other side of the wall, the star was still staring at the necklace which had knocked her out of the sky, anger crossing her features as she reached up a hand to grab hold of it. With a frown on her face, she slowly pushed herself into a sitting position—which by the mercy of her siblings had not caused her much pain— and began to inspect the ruby. 

It almost looked like a diamond it was so devoid of color. If she hadn’t known better, she would’ve certainly thought it was one. It was pretty, she supposed, and the design was so intricate it must’ve only been appropriate for royalty. The damned thing was certainly heavy enough to be made from real gold as well, and a curiosity overwhelmed her as she brought it up in front of her face, then rested it against her skin as if she was wearing it. 

The stone felt cold against her warm, golden skin, and pressed harshly on her clavicle as she reached up behind her neck beneath the falling locks of her dark hair and clasped it behind her, letting the necklace sit on her neck as if she were a queen. She certainly deserved to feel like one after what she’d been through. 

Now that she was no longer being blinded by pain, Rey took the opportunity to really look at her surroundings. She had to get back to the sky somehow, and that wouldn’t be possible if she was just sitting in a crater. The walls were steep, and most of them were still on fire, but she reckoned it wouldn’t be impossible to climb. 

With that thought in mind, she shifted her good leg, and began to stand up, which went phenomenally well until she put weight on her bad one, and she cried out in agony. Swearing loudly, she fell back down onto the Earth, tempted to give up, bury her head in her hands, and cry, but she knew she couldn’t do that. She had to get home. She had to leave this wretched place. 

Rey bit her lip as she moved again, screaming with her mouth closed as she at long last got to her feet, and stood there breathing in deeply for a moment as she adjusted to the feeling of being upright again. She closed her eyes as a breeze moved past her, causing her silvery dress to ripple behind her in the wind, the sound of the fabric rustling filling her ears as it brushed her loose, wavy hair from her shoulders, and a sense of peace filled her. 

Unfortunately, this was most certainly not her day. Her eyes snapped open a second later as she heard the sound of a man screaming, and she saw a bright, orange and yellow light careening towards her at a rapid speed. At first, she feared this may have been one of her brothers, but as the mystery man crashed into her she knew he was most certainly not one of them. 

Her head met the ground again with another shout, and the pain in her leg doubled, causing her to scream when she fell. The man on top of her also groaned in pain, though she was having a hard time mustering up any sympathy for him since he was the one who’d caused the newest wave of hers. She was just preparing herself to yell at him for what he’d done, when he surprised her by speaking first. “Alright… Well, you’re about my age, so I’m guessing you’re not my mother.”

His words had her taken aback completely, her anger forgotten for a moment as his words left her emotionally winded. “You’d… You’d be correct,” she told him, her voice tinged with disbelief. The man snorted a quiet round of brief laughter, which immediately reminded her of her fury, and she reached up to shove at his shoulder. “Who are you? Get off of me!”

The man muttered a quick apology, then he quickly rolled off of her, and the two of them lay there on their backs for a moment as the pain from their sudden collision washed over them. She could hear him panting nearly as hard as she was, and after a few seconds, she looked over to find him already brushing himself off and standing up. Once he was on his feet again, he turned around to face her, and offered her his hand. “Do you want some help?”

She scoffed at the hand he stretched in front of her. “From you? No thanks,” she snapped bitterly, not caring about the hurt expression crossing his face. “You can help by leaving me alone.”

“Alright, then,” the man replied, then he turned around, and stared at something in his hand before he started muttering to himself. Great, she’d been knocked to the ground by a complete nutter.

She slowly pushed herself back into a sitting position as the stranger continued talking quietly to the empty air, and inspected her body for any damage. Mercifully, she didn’t seem to be any worse off than she’d been before the impact with the—incredibly tall upon further observation—stranger. There were definitely a few new bruises forming on her back, but other than that she couldn’t see anything that would warrant concern. 

“Excuse me,” the man said, kneeling down in front of her and interrupting her inspection. She glared at him with a fake smile plastered on her face in an attempt to let him know once again that he was not welcome in her space. “Have you seen a fallen star anywhere?”

Rey almost laughed out loud, then she did, and her open peals of laughter filled the air as her hand clapped over her mouth in a last minute bid to stifle her laughter. It did her no good. She chortled at the man’s question. He had seriously just asked her, the very fallen star he was likely speaking of, whether or not she’d seen herself. Oh, she’d seen a fallen star, alright. She couldn’t have possibly missed it between the burning and the agony and all the harshness of the impact. “You’re funny.”

“No, I’m serious,” the man said, then he looked around her still burning crater. “We’re in a crater, this must be where it fell.” His voice was so excited, she took almost a bit of pleasure in being mean to him, wanting him to feel a fraction of the misery she was feeling. 

She smirked at him. “Yeah, this is where it fell,” she said after a while of him inspecting the crater. The man cocked his head at her, disbelieving from her sarcastic tone. “Actually, this is where it fell after being knocked out of the sky by this stupid fucking necklace.” She reached up, and dangled the jewel around her neck in front of his eyes. “And right here.” She pointed to where she was currently sitting. “Is where it fell  _ again  _ after being knocked out of the sky by an insane, flying, _ idiot! _ ”

Realization dawned on him as his eyes widened, and he suddenly sat back gaping at her. “You’re the star?” he asked in disbelief, “You’re the star?”

Nodding slowly, Rey couldn’t help the smile that started to form at his reaction. “Yeah, name’s Rey.”

“I’m Ben,” he said, still in shock from what she’d told him. He ran a hand through his long, dark hair, and continued staring blankly at her. “I can’t believe this. I had no idea you’d be a…” He gestured to her body, which was very much human and certainly not the lump of celestial rock most people pictured a star being. 

“Yeah, a woman,” she replied, then she groaned as she adjusted herself. “Now can you leave me alone, please?”

Ben looked at her with a frown on his face, seeming to be thinking about something as he reached into his pocket, then he shook his head and took out his hand, leaving it empty. “Actually… Since I’ve found you, I want to make you a deal.”

“You’ve got a lot of nerve asking me for things after you’ve injured me. Again,” she hissed, paying him little visual attention as she began to lift up her shimmering skirts to inspect the damage done to her leg. A bruise had started to form on her calf, which had turned blue and purple surrounding a small, but deep cut around the center of her muscle. She winced as her fingers brushed against it, wondering if she’d broken anything, but she didn’t get to ponder about it too long, for Ben was immediately asking her more questions. 

“I promised the woman I loved that I’d bring her back the fallen star,” Ben explained, and Rey felt her face blanch at the prospect of where this proposal might be heading. “But, I didn’t think you’d be a person, so now I have to ask.” Relief flooded Rey’s veins as he sat down beside her, and now that she wasn’t potentially being kidnapped, she listened a bit more intently as her eyes met his. “If you’ll allow me to bring you to her, show her the fallen star, I’ll give you passage home.”

A laugh escaped Rey, and she tossed her skirt back over her foot, covering up her bruised leg. “And just how do you plan on accomplishing that?”

This time it was Ben’s turn to smirk at her, and he reached into his pocket again, not breaking eye contact with her the entire time as he presented her with a small, half-burned black candle. “I find the fastest way to travel is by candlelight.”

Her breath left her in a rush. “You’ve got a babylon candle.”

He gave her a nod. “Yeah, and it’s all yours, but I need you to help me first.”

Another series of blinks was thrown his way, and again she found anger rising within her again as she considered his proposal. Yes, he’d offered her a way to get home, but he’d also effectively told her that she’d become a prize for some other woman, and something about that had her wanting to look the other way and ask literally anyone else if she could get her hands on a Babylon candle. She didn’t care how far she had to journey. Just as long as she somehow managed to find someone with a blasted candle so she could finally return to the sky. She’d only been on Earth for a few minutes, but she already hated it deeply. 

She was so tempted to say no. So, so tempted, and then she looked into his eyes, and saw the sincerity within them. He didn’t mean her any harm, and he was genuine about his promise to return her to the sky. With a hesitant sigh, Rey spoke again, “I may be able to help you, but I need you to promise me something.”

“Anything,” he said, and his voice was so serious, so sober, it shook her to her core. 

“You will return me to the sky the moment it’s over. The moment your beloved sees you’ve brought her the star she asked for, you will send me home.” She pointed sternly at him as she spoke, but he seemed to be listening intently to her words. He really meant his promise. 

Ben held out a hand to her, and she looked at his rather large hand for a moment before he spoke. “The moment it’s over, I’ll send you home,” he said. “I promise.” 

She let a few more hesitant seconds pass by before she reached out with her own hand, and took his tightly. “Great, now would you do me the favor of helping me up? I’m afraid the fall was rather tasking on my body.” She was exaggerating her pain slightly, she knew, but the arrangement he’d come up with was far from ideal for her, so she figured she ought to make it so for him as well. 

“Yes, of course, just give me your other hand,” Ben said, then he quickly pocketed the Babylon candle—her ticket home—and presented his newly freed hand to her. She smiled slightly as she took it, then he stood up, and began to lift her to her feet. 

Rey cried out as her weight shifted onto her bad leg, nearly falling to the ground again, but Ben quickly reached out and caught her, this time his hands wrapped around her forearms as he finished bringing her to a standing position. “Are you alright?” he asked, and he was so damn concerned she almost wasn’t angry at him anymore, but she quickly remembered why he needed her and her anger was reignited. 

“I’m fine,” she hissed bitterly. “It’s my leg, I injured it in the fall.”

“Can you walk?”

She froze then, realizing she hadn’t tried to walk yet. “I’ve got no idea,” she admitted, her cheeks flushing with embarrassment as she looked down at where her silver flats poked out from beneath her matching dress. 

“Here, try a couple of steps.” Ben stepped back from her, but only loosened the grip he had on her arms slightly, as if he were afraid she would actually fall. Almost as if he cared for her. 

Rey shot him another glare, but she closed her eyes anyway to brace herself for the pain of attempting to walk. Tentatively, Rey put her bad leg forward, and pressed down onto the dirt, wincing slightly from the pain it caused before taking a limping step toward Ben, who moved backwards in tandem with her steps. After a few more steps forward, he slowly began to let go of her arms, and stepped off to the side allowing her to walk past him for a few more feet before she turned to face him. “I can walk,” she told him affirmatively. 

The relief on his face seemed genuine, but she reminded herself that he needed her to be okay for when he presented her to some strange woman. She couldn’t be unable to walk in front of his beloved, so she scowled at him in return, and looked out to the far edge of the crater. “Come on, then, let’s go.”

“You want to go now?”

“I want to get home as quickly as I can, Ben. The only way I can do that is if I get you back to this woman—”

“Phasma.”

“I don’t care. We just have to get back to her, let her see me in all my wounded glory, and then I can go home. That was the deal.” She walked back up to him until they were standing nearly chest to chest, and began to point angrily up at him. “And that is a massive bloody favor I’m doing you, so the least you can do for me is get started early. Are we clear?”

“Crystal,” he breathed, seeming slightly winded all of a sudden as she glared up at him. 

Rey gave him a grin, then she stepped aside, and motioned for him to go on ahead of her. “Lead the way, then.”

Looking at her hesitantly, Ben waited until she gestured again to walk forward, and she watched him go for a few steps before following in behind him as they journeyed together toward the wall of the crater. Despite the small level of trust they’d built, Rey still eyed him wearily. For all she knew he would try to keep her for this “Phasma” when they got to his home, and she’d never be back up in the sky again. But he had seemed so genuine, he hadn’t let her fall… If he really didn’t care about her well being, he could have just picked her up and slung her over his shoulder, taking her by force with him to wherever the hell he lived, but he hadn’t. Either way, Rey was alarmingly skeptical, and she was certain of one thing. 

This was going to be a long journey.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I thought about not having them meet until the next chapter, but I'm eager, so it happened now. Their first scene was far too much fun to write. Until next time, my dudes.


	3. The Prince

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guess who's back. Anyway, this chapter was a bit of a challenge, but still fun. I'm honestly just excited for what comes after this... #sky pirates.

Ben and the Star—Rey, he reminded himself, her name was Rey—trekked for what seemed like ages before they reached the crater wall. He kept watching behind him the whole time, making sure that she was still on her feet and walking somewhat normally despite her injury. He’d been expecting a useless—but valuable—lump of celestial rock. The human being walking and panting alongside him had been a complete surprise. A lump of rock he could just take and carry on with his day. A human being…

He glanced back at Rey, whose gaze was focused on keeping her skirts lifted as she climbed over a smoldering rock and avoided a small blaze just to its left. She wasn’t happy to be there with him, but she was doing this anyway. A part of him knew he ought to just give her the candle and journey to the wall by himself, but another part knew he’d never forgive himself if he lost Phasma when he’d had his chance with her so easily within his grasp. Selfishly, Ben kept the candle in his pocket, though it felt like the damned thing was burning a hole into the cotton of his pants with every step. 

Eventually, the incline they were walking on became far too steep for them to just walk forward, and when he looked back at the star again, she was nodding as if she were thinking the exact same thing. They’d have to climb to get out of there. 

“How do we want to do this, then?” Ben asked, putting his hands on his hips as he stared up at the impossibly high crater wall. 

Rey shrugged as she walked up to his side. “You’ve got me, I was just about to ask you the same thing,” she said, and for once there wasn’t any animosity in her voice, she actually sounded like she was interested in figuring this out with him. Or perhaps she’d just become so resigned to her fate that she was willing to say anything to get him to shut up. Ben reckoned it was the latter, especially since things hadn’t exactly been going smoothly between them. 

“Climbing is a lot different than walking is the thing.” Ben looked back at her, and gestured to her leg. “Do you think you can handle that?”

Rey scowled openly at him, and he instantly knew that was the wrong thing to say. But then she looked up at the intimidating wall, and her strong stance faltered slightly as she took in just what they were up against. “I… I don’t know.”

“Why don’t you try?” Ben asked, then he stepped aside—even though he wasn’t in her way—and let her have a go at the steep hillside. 

Another glare was thrown his way, but she didn’t protest his idea as she walked forward, and placed her hands on a rock. Much to his surprise, she was indeed able to lift herself up. Using just her hands and her good leg, Rey hoisted herself up the hillside with a determination he’d never seen before in anyone, and it quickly occurred to him that if he didn’t follow suit, he’d lose her. Without saying another word, Ben too began to climb the steep crater wall, and together, the two of them slowly made their way out of the crater Rey’s violent impact created. 

They made it about halfway up without any problems, and for a moment ben began to think their luck was turning around, until suddenly Rey cried out. Ben turned to look at her to realize that a rock had come loose under her foot, and now she was almost dangling from the steep hillside. His blood rushed from his face as he watched her struggle to find her footing elsewhere, and he began to move over to her to prevent her from falling. They didn’t know each other. There was nothing between them, no friendship, no family ties, no love, and their only passion stemmed from hatred, but Ben would be damned if he let her die. 

“Take my hand!” he shouted, holding tightly to the side of the crater as he reached out a hand for her. 

She looked at him hesitantly, that familiar spark of hatred in her eyes igniting for a split second before her features softened, and she let go of the cliff side with one hand to grab a hold of his. “That’s it,” Ben said encouragingly, then he looked down to the rock that was currently serving as his right foot’s support. “Now put your foot on that.”

Breathing heavily, Rey looked between him and it for a few seconds before she hesitantly put her bad foot into the rock, crying out as she stumbled into his arms, nearly knocking them both back down the steep incline. Ben wrapped his arm around her waist, letting go of her hand to hold her tightly against him as they settled into this new position against the crater wall. “Are you alright?”

She looked up at him with disbelief in her eyes, but she simply nodded instead of offering him her usual snark. “I’m fine, let’s just get out of here.”

Ben was more than happy to oblige that request. Without another word, he slowly unwrapped his arm from her waist, waiting until she had her grip back on the rock again before he continued to climb. Neither of them said anything until they reached the top, though he could sense Rey’s curious eyes on him every couple of minutes or so as they drew closer and closer to the lip of the hole she’d created in the ground. 

By the time they reached the top, the two of them were thoroughly exhausted, and Ben immediately collapsed onto the ground panting hard as he stared up at the night sky, looking up at all of the stars that still twinkled within its black depths. Beside him, he heard Rey doing much the same, followed by a groan as she no doubt nudged her bad foot. “Are you—“

“I haven’t changed conditions in the five minutes since the last time you asked,” she snapped bitterly, then he glanced over at her to find a single tear leaking from her eye as she too stared up at the sky. In a surprising moment of good decision making, he elected not to comment on it. He was already on thin ice with her, and he had no desire to break it. 

Instead, the two of them continued to just lay there side by side, though with a bit of distance between them as they stared up at the stars. Ben remembered where he’d been at this time the night before. He’d stared up at the Star—whom he now knew to be Rey— and asked for some sort of miracle to help him win over Phasma. Now his favorite star lay beside him, and as luck would have it, she hated his guts. 

Looking over at her now, Ben took in the appearance of his star with curiosity in his gaze. She looked tired, like she’d just fought a battle, and with what they’d just gone through together, that was pretty much what had happened. Her skirts had splayed out around her, and as his eyes drifted down her legs, he saw a crimson stain slowly growing on her bad leg, and his eyes widened with alarm. 

“What?” she asked suddenly, and he looked up to find her hazel eyes staring at him intensely. “What are you staring at?”

“You’re bleeding.”

“I’m aware. There’s not much we can do about it, though.”

She was right, but still Ben hated to see someone hurt, and he slowly pushed himself into a sitting position, his arms aching with exhaustion. “Let me look at it.”

Rey scoffed at him as she too sat up, and threw him another glare. “And just what the hell do you think you’ll be able to do?”

“I…” He wasn’t sure. He knew nothing about healing people, and he was certainly no doctor. In all likelihood there wasn’t anything Ben could do to help her, but god damn it he was going to try. “I don’t know I just… I want to help.”

“You can help by getting me on my feet,” she muttered bitterly, then she groaned. “We need to get moving, the sooner I’m home, the sooner the pain stops. That’s how you can help me.”

A chuckle escaped Ben’s lips. “I can’t argue that.” He then pushed himself onto his feet, and if he blinked he would’ve missed it but for the briefest, tiniest millisecond, Rey smiled at him as he held out his hand to her, and helped her to get on her feet. 

“Thanks,” she said, and he was relieved to hear that she didn’t seem to be in pain as she stood. He gave her a nod in response, then he let go of her hand, and they began to head for the forest just beyond the crater, leaving it and its fiery walls behind. 

By the time they reached the forest, daylight was threatening the horizon, and Ben was starting to realize that he actually had no idea where he was going. Just where in the hell was the wall from there anyway? How would he get back to it? Back to Phasma? A frown settled into Ben’s face, but he didn’t dare let Rey see it. If she knew he didn’t know where he was going, he’d never hear the end of it. 

Instead of calling attention to how lost he was, Ben guided them into the woods without another word. Rey looked at him inquisitively, but she followed him nonetheless as they wandered into the green forest together in the dim light of dawn. Eventually, he rationalized that they must’ve been south of the wall, and that by going north—which they were doing—they’d eventually find themselves back there.

As the time passed, the sun began to rise slowly into the sky, dowsing them in a gentle, pink light that reflected off of Rey’s dress in a way that made it look like she was on fire. The image was actually rather lovely, though Ben would never admit it as he looked back at her from time to time, making sure she was still walking okay. 

Rey seemed to be doing better. She cried out less and less as the sun rose higher into the sky, and by the time the morning had fully dawned, she was almost keeping pace with him. The sound of her footsteps following not far behind his brought him a sense of overwhelming relief. Now the only bad thing about their journey was the awkward silence that had settled between them. 

Since they’d set foot in the woods, neither of them had said a word. Occasionally they locked eyes and hurriedly looked away, but that had been their sole form of communication thus far. After a while, it started to weigh on Ben like a thick coat, and he decided he couldn’t take it anymore. The silence quickly came to a close, and was instead filled with his voice as he asked her, “So what is it like?”

“I beg your pardon?”

“Being a star, what's it like?” he asked, casually flicking aside a low lying branch that had gotten in his way. 

“Oh.” She seemed to think for a moment, the quiet settling over them again for the briefest moment before she answered him. “I don’t know how to describe it… you just sit up there and watch life on Earth… go by.”

“Really? You just sit there and watch?” he asked in disbelief, then she shrugged, and he fell back in his steps so he was walking side by side with her. “That’s it?”

“Well, it’s not  _ that _ simple,” she said, then she looked up at the sky, and yawned. “We talk to each other, we communicate, we spend time together.”

“Do you ever grant wishes?” It was something he’d always wanted to know, but more importantly, he wanted to know if she’d heard his wish for Phasma. 

A smirk was thrown his way. “You mean do we make things happen when people look up at the sky?” He nodded, and she shook her head as she laughed at him, a rather nice peal of giggles that sounded almost melodic with the light breeze coasting through the forest. “No. But we hear you, though.” She paused, as if thinking very carefully on what she’d say next. “I heard you.”

“So it was you then,” he said, though he’d known it was her from the beginning, it was nice to have that proof from her own words. “I wished upon you.”

“You did. It was funny, I actually felt bad for you,” she said, then she sighed. “I’m still mad at you for injuring me and making me climb a wall, but you seemed sweet.”

Ben was a little taken aback by the kindness with which she said that. She had thought he was  _ sweet?  _ That wasn’t something he’d expected to hear from her, since she’d been almost entirely antagonistic toward him—with good reason, to be perfectly fair to her— but it still felt nice nonetheless. Nobody but his father had ever given him such a compliment. His boss had called him an idiot and delusional, and Phasma had technically called him sweet, but it had been backhanded by comments about his station. No one had ever just done it unconditionally, and it warmed his heart a little to hear it. 

“Sweet?”

“Don’t let it get to your head, Ben,” she warned, though her voice carried a light and teasing tone. “I said you  _ seemed  _ sweet. I still have yet to determine whether or not you’re actually a decent person.”

“Really?”

Her expression sobered. “You understand that the premise of our arrangement revolves around me trusting you completely to return me to the sky once this is over?”

A twig crunched beneath his boot, the snapping noise it created sounding like gunfire in the silence that followed. “I’m aware.”

“Then you’re also aware that we’ve only just met, and because of that trusting you is an extremely difficult thing for me to do?”

Ben stopped walking then, and he turned to face her full on. “I would never hold you here against your will. No, the second you meet Phasma, and she sees you’re the star, I’ll make sure you get back up there.” He pointed to the now blue sky, and looked down into Rey’s still frightened eyes. 

“I need you to swear on something, Ben. Swear on something that matters to you because I need to know for certain that you’re serious,” she told him, and he noticed she was trembling slightly, though whether it was from fear or from the chill in the air he couldn’t tell. 

He thought for a moment about everything that mattered to him, and for a few seconds he considered swearing on Phasma, but he knew she wouldn’t take that for any value. His Father’s face flashed before his mind a moment later, and he knew what he needed to swear to her on. “Rey, I swear to you on my father’s life, you’ll see your family again.”

For a few more seconds, she stood in front of him, looking up into his eyes hesitantly, then she slowly nodded. “Good,” she said before walking away from him, and clearing her throat. “Let’s get going.”

He wasn’t going to protest. “As you wish,” he muttered under his breath, then he followed quickly after her, and the two of them carried on with their small talk as they made their way through the seemingly never ending woods. 

By the time the sun had reached its peak, both of them were sweating and exhausted. Ben had removed his coat, and held it folded over one arm as they trekked over branches and roots, and stayed in the shade as best they could under the clear sky. 

As time went on, Rey was growing increasingly frustrated with him again, and their small talk had petered off into another round of horribly awkward silence as they continued their long hike to god only knew where. Ben certainly didn’t. 

“Are you sure we’re going the right way?” she asked after a while, and as he looked over she was wiping off a drop of sweat from her forehead on her silver sleeve. 

He shrugged. “I think so, yeah.”

“And how do you know this exactly?”

“I just do,” he replied, feeling the heat exhaustion wearing on him now as well. His normally polite and kind responses to her had faded away into sarcasm and bitterness that matched hers. 

Rey scoffed at him, ceasing her steps as she crossed her arms over her chest. “So, let me get this straight. You think we’re going the right way because… You just do?”

Ben quickly came to a stop as well, and he dabbed at his forehead with his sleeve before he marched back over to her and sighed. “I do, though, I don’t know why,” he admitted, then he looked up wistfully at the daytime sky. “Maybe it’s my love for Phasma guiding me home.”

Another scoff. “Please.”

“Rey, whether you like it or not, we’re going north. Now I know for a fact that the wall is north,” he told her, gesturing in front of him as if he were constructing an imaginary wall with his hands. “And it runs in either direction east to west for as far as anyone in my village can see. We’ll find it, whether we mean to or not.”

She looked up at him with a newly tired expression. Perhaps she didn’t agree with him still, but he could sense she was far too tired to argue, and if he were being honest, he was in the same boat. They needed to rest. They had time after all, there were still another six days before Phasma’s birthday. 

Ben sighed, then he held out his hand for her once more. “Come on,” he said, then amidst her protests asking where they were going, he led her over to the base of a tall tree, and let go of her hand before patting the ground beside him. “We’re taking a break.”

She looked at him hesitantly, then she slowly walked over, and sat down beside him. “Thank god,” she breathed, leaning against the tree and immediately closing her eyes. “I was preparing to collapse. You would’ve probably had to carry me.”

“I probably could if I have to.” At the thought of it, they both chuckled, and Ben looked over at Rey to find she was already looking at him with that inquisitive look she always wore on her face when she looked at him. Well, it was either that or pure and utter fury. Never any in between. “What?”

“You’re not like what I expected humans to be like,” she said, glancing up at the sky as she shifted so that she was laying down on the forest floor, the silver in her skirt glittering in the sunlight. “When I watched you every night, it was just… different.”

“How?”

“I don’t know, just… when you live as long as I have, Ben, you see every side to people. The good, the bad, and the balance between it all. There’s just so much…” she trailed off, and he could see her eyes starting to drift shut as she spoke. 

Slowly, Ben joined her on the ground. “So how am I different then?”

She opened her eyes again, and thought about it for a moment. A breeze blew gently past them, cooling the sweat that had beaded on their faces. He closed his eyes, and leaned his face up into the wind just as Rey spoke. “It’s like I said earlier, I think you’re sweet, kind, and you have a good heart. Otherwise you would’ve lit the candle and taken us straight to Phasma by now.”

He shrugged. “That’s a fair judgment I suppose. If only she could see me that way.”

“What do you mean?”

Waving her concern aside, Ben changed the subject. “So how often do stars fall to Earth anyway? I haven’t heard of one falling like this before you.”

A pained look crossed her face, as if she were calling something forward from memory. “You wouldn’t have,” she said, then she began to pick at one of her thumbs. “The last time this happened was four hundred years ago, a sister of mine. She… She didn’t come back to the sky.”

Ben felt a sudden wave of sympathy wash over him for her. He didn’t know what it was like to lose family, but he supposed he’d never met his mother, so there was something he could try to relate to. “I’m so sorry,” he said quietly.

“It’s fine, it’s been long enough now that I can talk about it without breaking down. I mean, I’d hope it’s been long enough. It’s been four hundred bloody years.”

He snorted slightly at that, the concept of living for four hundred years, much less centuries and millennia seeming utterly foreign to him. “The closest I’ve ever come to that is— well— I’ve never met my mother. She had to give me up as a baby to my father on the other side of the wall. She’s…” He looked at their surroundings. “Out here somewhere actually.”

“Oh, Ben, that’s awful.”

“That’s why I’m on this side of the wall. I used the candle to try and find her, but I was thinking about Phasma and the star—you— and then I wound up here.”

She laughed at him again. “You’ve got to watch what you think with those Babylon candles. They can be tricky.”

“No kidding,” he replied, then as they both laughed he heard his stomach rumble, and it occurred to him that he hadn’t eaten since the day before. 

“Hungry?” Rey asked, lifting an eyebrow at him. She seemed amused by his troubles, and he shot her a glare, which only made her giggle as his stomach growled again, clearly wanting to be fed. “I think you should see to that.” 

Ben grunted a response, then he slowly rose to his feet, causing her to sit up in alarm. “Where are you going?”

“I’m going to find the nearest village and then I’m going to get food,” he replied, then when she moved to stand, he put out his hands to stop her. “No, you don’t have to come with me. Just stay here. You need the rest more than I do. I don’t think you’re usually up at this hour.”

She actually managed a smile for him. “No, no I’m not.”

Returning the smile, Ben began to walk away. “Just get some rest, I’ll be back soon.”

“Okay,” she replied, then she laid back down on the grass, and slung a silver clothed arm over her eyes as she muttered, “Hurry back!”

All Ben gave her in response was a laugh as he jogged into the woods to find whatever source of food he could. The sun beat down on his face as he wandered through the trees, this time by himself. Occasionally, he looked back over his shoulder, his eyes always searching for something, though what it was he wasn’t sure. Each time it happened he simply carried on, and pushed through the trees again. 

It felt like hours passed him by before he finally saw signs of life from a small village a good ways to the west of where he’d left Rey, and perhaps it had in fact been hours. By the time he burst through the forest, the sun was significantly lower in the sky, and it was beginning to set toward the horizon. Concern caused his brows to furrow, but he pressed on, knowing that he had to get back to Rey as quickly as he could. Who knew how long she’d wait for him after her nap? Ben hurriedly walked into the center of the village, looking for anything he could find food at. 

Finding food proved itself to be an easy task, but obtaining it would be another, seeing as Ben didn’t exactly carry money around with him, but it took him an astonishingly short time to resolve himself to stealing it. He gazed out at the street he’d found himself on, looking out into the small market place for somewhere unsuspecting, where he could swoop in and out and steal a loaf of bread without anyone giving him trouble. 

That place was found in the form of a small cart that was sitting just ten feet from where he stood, being tended to by a man who wasn’t facing him, but was instead leaning against his cart lazily as if sleeping. Townspeople mozied on past him, seeming not to notice the man as he stared distractedly off at the street. Ben took a moment to observe the cart and all it held in it. But it wasn’t the cart he wound up stealing from in the end. 

By the cart tender’s feet, there were two more baskets full of bread loaves that were just sitting there practically unguarded. A small smile crossed Ben’s face as he walked out from where he stood, casually leaning down and sweeping one of the loaves up into his long arms before tucking it into the folds of his jacket, and turning back toward the tree he’d left Rey at. He had to get back to her before it was too late. 

For all he knew she still didn’t trust him, and she’d already run off to find some other way home. With that thought in mind, he began a brisk jog back toward their tree just as the sun was dipping beneath the horizon, and the stars above began to make their nightly appearance. Swearing under his breath at the sight, Ben began to run faster, calling out Rey’s name as he approached their tree, only to find when he got there…

Rey was gone.

“No!” he shouted, dropping the loaf of bread and his coat as he looked around the base of the tree again, as if it would make her reappear. “Rey!” 

Still no answer. Ben was alone now, and Rey was gone. With a frustrated sigh, Ben collapsed against their tree, and crossed one leg over the other as he surrendered to his exhaustion. He was far too tired to fight what had happened to him now; he needed to rest first. As the seconds passed, his eyelids began to droop, much like Rey’s had earlier that afternoon, and he slowly began to succumb to the pull of sleep. 

His dreams seemed to take over him immediately. That night, Ben dreamt of the night sky, and all the stars glittering above his head as he slept. The stars spoke to him in his sleep, warning him of the threat to Rey’s life, of what had happened to her sister, and the warlock that was after her heart. His heart raced in his chest and a cold sweat broke out on his face at the mental image of some old man taking Rey in his clutches, cutting out her heart while she still lived, and eating it. He couldn’t let that happen to Rey. He just couldn’t. 

When he woke up, he could scarcely remember a single thing from his dreams, only that he needed to run, and that Rey was in mortal danger. 

The second his eyes were open, Ben took off in a sprint, heading fast toward the sound of horses neighing on a nearby road. The sound grew louder as he got closer, and in the dim light, he could see a carriage moving at breakneck speed through the forest, the driver pushing them forward with a loud cry. 

Ben stood quietly behind a tree, waiting patiently for the carriage to pass him by. Thankfully, he didn’t have to wait for long, and within seconds he was launching himself at the damned thing, but his misfortune struck him again when he didn’t quite stick the landing, and instead he bounced off of the carriage. He cried out as he fell hard on his ass, and he was faintly aware of the carriage coming to a grinding halt ahead of him as the driver pulled it to a stop. 

A groan left Ben’s lips, covering up the sound of the carriage driver hoping down from his post, and marching over to him before brandishing a sword directly into his face. Now  _ that _ got his attention, and he quickly put his hands up, staring up at the well-dressed swordsman in fright. “Who are you?” the man asked, peering down at him from the other end of the sword. 

Heart hammering against his chest, Ben swallowed. “I’m Ben Solo, I… I’m sorry I jumped on your carriage, sir, I just need a lift.” His speech came out in rambles, a far cry from the smooth explanation he’d intended to give, but there was a sharp blade a mere inch from his face. That would render even the bravest of men a little shaky, he reckoned. 

“I’m afraid I’ll have to decline,” the stranger said, though his blue eyes looked into Ben’s with sympathy before he turned around. “I’m on a quest of enormous importance, young man.”

Ben quickly rose to his feet, following the man back to the driver’s seat of the carriage. “That’s all the more reason to take me with you! There may come a time when you need a second pair of hands, sir, please consider it.”

The man jumped up into the bench seat in front of the carriage, looking at Ben apprehensively for a moment before he cocked his head to the side. “Get on,” he said.

A breath of relief left Ben as he jumped up onto the carriage beside the stranger. “Oh, thank you so much. I promise you won’t regret this… Er, what’s your name again?”

“Luke,” the man answered, then he snapped the reins, and they jolted forward as the horses pulling the carriage resumed their intense gallop. 

“Nice to meet you,” Ben said politely, even though their initial meeting had been anything but nice. Luke grunted a response, and then a silence settled over them as the carriage continued its journey through the woods. 

The wind whipped through Ben’s hair as he and Luke journeyed through the night, and as he shivered, he quickly put his coat back on in some hopes of protecting himself against the freezing cold. In the distance, he saw the distinct white flash that signified lightning in a thunderstorm, and moments later he heard the thunderclap that quickly followed. Luke scoffed upon hearing the distant boom, shaking his head as he ordered the horses to move faster. “We need to find somewhere to ride this storm out.”

Ben gave him a nod. “Agreed,” he said, then he glanced over at the other man, all of his questions about him coming to the forefront of his mind again. “What mission are you on exactly? If you don’t mind me asking.”

Luke quirked an eyebrow at him, but he didn’t snap at him as he answered the question. “My father, the king has just died,” he said, though his voice gave away no sorrow at the news of his own father’s death. “I am the next in line to become king.” 

_ Holy hell,  _ Ben thought, realizing he was in the presence of royalty. That certainly explained why the man was so well dressed and had such an elegantly designed carriage. “So why aren’t you on the throne, then?”

“I’m getting there, kid. Anyway, my father’s always been a cryptic man, so instead of having me just assume the crown by birthright, he’s having me chase after some ruby to restore its color. Apparently only ‘he of royal blood,’ can restore the ruby.”

“Why doesn’t the ruby have color?”

“Magic, I suppose,” Luke answered him. “Anyway, point is, I can’t leave the kingdom without a king for too long and therefore I have to find this ruby as quickly as I can.”

“Ah.”

“What about you, boy? What mission are you on that’s got you so eager to be on my carriage?”

Ben froze, unsure how to answer that question. Not even he knew exactly how he’d come to be on this carriage. All he’d known was that he had to get on it, and that Rey’s life was on the line. “I lost my… traveling companion, I need to find her.”

Out of the corner of his eye, he thought he saw Luke smirking knowingly, then he felt his cheeks flush when he realized where the prince’s mind had gone. “Oh, no, it’s not like that. She actually hates me, and I’m in love with someone else, so… Not the most ideal circumstances for a romance.”

Luke shrugged. “Hmm… I don’t know if there are any ideal circumstances for a romance,” he muttered quietly, then the silence settled back over them as they continued heading into the storm that loomed ahead. 


	4. It's a Trap

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I've been gone from this a hot minute, it kind of sat on the back burner while I worked on my other WIP Score, cause... that's taken over my life, but I figured this one was overdue for an update.

Rey fell asleep quickly in the light of the afternoon sun, feeling relieved at being able to finally get some rest after all she’d been through that night. The golden light and the sounds of the forest around her pulled her into a deep sleep within minutes after Ben had left her in search of food, long before she could even worry about whether or not he’d return. 

Not that she was terribly worried anyway, he was just a means to an end for her. 

In her dreams she was back in the sky, floating, drifting into the endless night with her brothers and sisters. There was no necklace, no Ben, and no crater, only Rey and the blackness as she shone brightly. She felt at peace again, like everything she’d experienced on Earth was just some nightmare. 

But reality always hit sooner or later, and before she could lose herself to the feeling of being back in the sky again, the scene shifted so that she was back on Earth, and Ben was leaning against a tree in front of her with the Babylon candle in his hand. She was shaking as she looked at him, watching in horror as he reached into the pocket of his coat, and pulled out a match, never taking his eyes off of her the entire time. 

“Ben, please,” she said, realizing what he was about to do with a look of horror in her eyes as she watched him strike the match on the tree. 

His eyes were cold and lifeless as he walked toward her with the lit match and the candle in hand. She tried to move backward, to run away from him so he wouldn’t get the chance to take her with him when he inevitably lit the candle, but she couldn’t move, she was frozen. “Ben!”

“I’m sorry, Rey,” he told her, though he certainly didn’t sound sorry. “I have to get back to her.”

“You don’t have to do this, please, Ben,” she begged him as he got closer and closer to her until he was leaning over her, looking down at where she trembled beneath him. He gave her the smirk she’d started to find herself growing used to seeing, but this time it was purely evil, cruel, and held no kindness toward her. 

“Yes I do,” he said, then he touched the lit match to the candle, and grabbed her by the wrist. She screamed as the world turned into a blinding flash of orange and yellow light, then she sat up bolt right on the forest floor clutching her chest in fright. 

It had just been a horrible nightmare, one that she’d almost started to believe would never end, but it still opened her eyes to the harsh reality of her situation. Sure, Ben had sworn that he would return her home, but promises could always be broken. She’d seen centuries and centuries of people lying to each other, cheating to get what they wanted. For all she knew, he would turn out to be no different. She needed to get away from him as quickly as she could, run far away and never look back before he could return to the tree he’d left her under. 

Already on edge, Rey couldn’t help the scream that left her throat when she heard a twig snap nearby in the now pitch black forest. She quickly slammed a hand over her mouth, reminding herself to calm the hell down as she looked out into the woods for signs of movement. Perhaps it was only Ben, though given her nightmare, she didn’t particularly think that was a good thing. 

After a moment, the mysterious thing in the woods revealed itself, and she sighed in relief as a unicorn that was whiter than snow burst through the forest. Her jaw fell open as she watched it, and she quickly rose to her feet—  wincing as she accidentally stood funny on her bad leg— as the creature approached her. “Oh, hello,” she breathed, reaching up her hand to meet its snout. “Where did you come from?”

The unicorn answered her with a snort, and she laughed in response, unsure of what that meant or if it even understood her. After a couple of seconds, it knelt down in front of her, and Rey quickly got the message. She had an opportunity to get the hell out of there, and she was going to take it. Without saying another word, she climbed onto the unicorn’s back and held on tightly as it stood back up, and began to walk further into the woods. 

She nearly fell asleep again as they wandered through the forest, but always forced herself to stay awake as she remembered the nightmares she’d had the last time she’d done so. Shaking her head, Rey began to talk to the unicorn about her problems, telling it everything she’d been through in the last twenty four hours that had led her to being at this point. It felt freeing to vent her issues to the creature, even though she had no idea of whether or not it was capable of understanding her or if it even knew where it was taking her.

“I just refuse to believe that he’s the only person in all of Alderaan who could’ve helped me,” she told it, sighing as they continued their stroll into nowhere. “Going on and on… Phasma this, Phasma that… I mean… He seemed honorable, but… I don’t know what if he wasn’t? I could’ve been stuck here forever if I stayed with him.”

Above her, she suddenly heard the loud rumble of thunder in time with a flash of lightning, and she groaned loudly just as a drop of rain struck her cheek. “And now this. I’m having a great day, can’t you tell?” she asked the unicorn, which neighed in response.  _ Huh _ , perhaps the creature could understand her after all. 

The storm only grew worse as they continued trekking through the woods. By the time they reached a clearing in the trees, Rey was soaking wet, and her hair was whipping in the wind around her, rendering her eyesight almost null and void. Through the chaos, however, she could soon see a small building with what looked like warm firelight illuminating the inside. As they grew closer, she could see a sign on the outside advertising an inn, and a relieved sigh escaped her lips. 

After hours of traveling through the woods, at last, she’d found shelter. “I’m guessing you know where I want you to go now,” she muttered to the unicorn, laughing as it snorted it’s response before guiding her up to the inn’s front door. Rey lifted a hand to keep the rain from getting into her eyes as she slid off of the creature’s back, thanking it for the ride to safety as she walked up to the door. The creature didn’t leave its ground despite her dismissal, and she began to think that perhaps it hadn’t understood her after all, and it had all been a coincidence whenever it responded to her. 

Frowning slightly in her confusion, she turned back to the door, and knocked lightly on it before hearing the sound of footsteps coming from the inside. Good, someone was home then. 

The door opened to reveal a short, middle aged woman with a shocked expression on her face as she took in Rey’s appearance. “Well! Goodness me, my dear,” she said, her voice oddly deep for a woman such as herself. “Come in out of this wretched rain!” 

She held out a hand for the star, and Rey smiled kindly at her as she was allowed into the warmth of the inn, not even having noticed that she’d been freezing cold the entire journey through the storm. “I-I-I’m so s-Sorry to intrude,” she told the woman, feeling her teeth chattering as she rubbed her hands up and down the length of her arms. “I just need someone to point the way to the nearest villa—“

“Oh, my dear, surely you don’t plan on going back out  _ there _ do you?” the woman asked, glancing back at the outside, where the storm still raged before she slammed the door shut. “That’s nonsense! You’ll stay with us tonight.”

Rey felt a sense of warmth and delight wash through her, “Oh, thank you so much.”

“Please, dear, it is no trouble to me.” Her host waved away her thanks with a casual flick of her wrist as she looked Rey up and down. “Oh, you poor thing, you must be freezing in those.”

“Oh, I’m f-fine,” Rey stuttered as she continued staring around the room at the expanse of the inn’s interior. “Just a bit chilly.”

“Well, why don’t we draw you a bath, then? Get you warmed up?”

“We?”

“Jyn!” the woman cried, then a head of brunette hair ducked out from behind the bar. 

“Yes?” a somehow even deeper voice called out, then a hand covered the woman’s—Jyn’s—mouth, and she quickly rushed out from behind the bar, lifting her skirts without a hint of grace as she walked over to Rey and the woman of the house. 

“Could you help our guest out of her wet clothes, please? I’m going to draw her a bath,” the woman said, and Jyn’s eyes widened slightly before she gave her mistress a nod. The stranger then moved past them both, walking into the next room to begin preparing Rey’s bath as Jyn’s approached her cautiously, looking over the sleek, silvery fabric of her dress. 

Rey’s brows furrowed in concern at the strange girl’s actions, then she cleared her throat when Jyn’s eyes laid on her breasts for perhaps a second longer than could ever be considered appropriate. “Are you alright?” she asked, but Jyn didn’t answer her, merely giving her a nod as she reached up, and began to slide the silver fabric from the star’s shoulders. 

Ten minutes later she was resting in a warm bath near the inn’s fireplace chatting casually with the woman— Snoke, she told her her name was—as she made sure that Rey was comfortable. “I hope the water’s warm enough for you.”

Rey hummed as she sank a little bit further. “It’s perfect, thank you,” she replied, shifting her leg beneath the water, which the woman seemed to notice. 

There was the smallest flicker of green light out of the corner of her eye, but before she could investigate it, Snoke was speaking to her again. “And your leg? Is it feeling any better?”

In all honesty, she’d hardly noticed the injury since she’d stepped foot in the in. The warm welcome and the hot bath had soothed her in ways she hadn’t thought possible on Earth, and she began to think that she had in fact made the right decision when she’d elected to run away from Ben hours earlier. But now that the woman had mentioned it, the memories of climbing the crater wall and walking through the woods for hours came flooding back, and she lifted her leg to inspect the damage it had sustained. Her jaw dropped when she realized that the cut was completely healed, and whatever had been done to the bone beneath it had practically been reversed. “That’s incredible,” she breathed. 

Snoke gave her a warm smile, then she rested her hands on her lap. “I’ve been told I have the hands of a masterful healer.”

“I’d believe that, this is extraordinary.”

“Thank you,” Snoke replied as she began to stand up off of the stool she’d pulled to the side of the tub. “Now, let’s find you a room, it’s my understanding you came here looking for a place to stay for the night, correct?”

Rey felt her heart bursting with relief at the sound of the kind woman’s words. “I did, yes,” she replied, feeling safe and well rested for the first time since she’d been on Earth, like things were finally starting to turn up for her.

“Jyn!” 

The brunette came sauntering back into the room, walking around like she didn’t quite know how to move her legs—an oddity Rey had noticed with increasing frequency, but didn’t dare comment on— as she stood by the foot of the bath in complete silence. The lady Snoke smiled up at her. “Would you please retrieve a bathrobe for our guest?”

Jyn gave another nod, then walked back out of the room to find a robe for Rey as she and the self-proclaimed woman of the house continued their conversation. “Would you mind if I asked where you were headed?”

Rey blinked at her a few times, having no clue as to how to answer that question other than to stare blankly at the ceiling obscuring her view of the night sky. Not that she’d have much of a view anyway with the loud thunderstorm that continued to pound against the inn, but still she wished she could see it. “I was going home.”

“Is it terribly far?”

“Yes, quite far away, it would’ve taken me days to journey there.” Or it would’ve taken her forever. Without the Babylon candle, she was going to have a phenomenally difficult time returning to the sky. Perhaps in the morning she could ask the woman what she knew about acquiring a new one so that she could be on her way sooner rather than later. 

She didn’t have time to muse on it, though, since Jyn came rushing back into the room two seconds later holding a soft looking white robe in her hands, the sleeves ready and waiting for Rey to slip her arms through them. Glancing up briefly at Snoke, she waited for the kind woman to give her a nod before she slowly rose up and out of the tub, stepping over its edge as she slid one arm then the other into the robe, and wrapped it tightly around herself. 

Slowly, Jyn reached around her waist, and wrapped a tie around her that she knotted up in the back. Again the woman’s hands lingered for a strangely long time at Rey’s lower back, and it wasn’t until her mistress cleared her throat that she stepped back, releasing Rey from her touch. Once she finished, Snoke reached out a hand for Rey, and gave her another warm smile. “Come with me, my dear, I’ve prepared my finest room for you.”

This time it was Rey who grinned as she was led across the room and toward a staircase between Jyn and Snoke, feeling more and more at ease by the minute. She could see herself starting to glow as she followed the latter of the two into a bedroom, her skin gaining an increasing luminescence to it as a sense of peace washed over her. There was no doubt that the other two women could see it, but she had little fear that it would phase them. What she knew from watching over the Earth, and subsequently the kingdom of Alderaan, was that this was a place of magic. There were far stranger things out there than Rey’s soft light. 

The bedroom she was led into was cozy and inviting to the eyes from the second she stepped in. A high ceiling boasted a series of lanterns hanging along its support beams, while a large fireplace roared with the crackle of flames just off to her left, and at the center of it all was a bed fit for a king, with layers upon layers of blankets that looked like they’d guarantee she never went cold. It was almost a shame she’d only be staying there one night, but she had to get home. She couldn’t stay here. 

“Jyn, you may go,” her host announced, and with an awkward bow, the younger woman walked back out of the room, and headed back outside before Snoke turned to Rey. “Well, now that everything’s all taken care of, I do hope you have a good night’s rest.”

Rey couldn’t help the laugh that escaped her throat. “I doubt it, but thank you.”

“How come?”

“I always have trouble sleeping at night,” Rey admitted as she walked over by the bed. 

A hint of delight crossed Snoke’s face as she listened to Rey’s news. “Oh, well, I’m certain I could help,” she said, clasping her hands together. “I usually find a good massage eases me to sleep.”

“A massage?” Rey asked curiously. 

“Have you never—“ the woman quickly composed herself. “Well, bless my soul. Lie down on the bed, this’ll help you sleep.”

Somewhere in the back of her head, alarm bells were going off that this was a bad idea, but she gave the woman a nod as she walked over to the nearest side of the bed, and laid down on it, resting her hands on either side of her body. Another warm look was thrown her way by Snoke, and the alarm bells slowly began to make themselves known in the back of her mind as she was instructed to close her eyes, and the woman sat down on the bed beside her. 

She felt Snoke’s hands slowly begin to pry apart the fabric of her robe over her chest, but before she could say anything about it, there was a loud pounding on the door, and she let out a breath she hadn’t known she was holding. Her eyes burst open to find her new caretaker looking down at her with a hint of annoyance behind her smile. “I’ll be back shortly,” she assured her, then the other woman was gone, and Rey was once again alone in the room. 

She sat up on the bed, taking in her surroundings with a nervous swallow. It all looked so nice and made her feel like she was at home away from home, but there was something sinister in the air that she couldn’t quite put her finger on. In the distance she heard the sound of a male voice talking as someone opened the front door, then the man walked inside, and Rey heard the sound of her host’s voice as she greeted the man. 

Curiosity getting the better of her, Rey stood up from the bed, and walked out of the bedroom, clasping the fabric of her robe tightly around her chest. As she moved, her hand brushed against the cool stone of the colorless ruby she still wore around her neck, and a twinge of anger rushed through her at the memory of why she was trapped in this fear inducing place. She forced herself to ignore it, taking in a deep breath as she walked out into the hallway, and peered curiously over the railing at what was going on in the main room below. 

A man with long, gray hair was standing at the bar watching as Snoke poured a glass of wine, but when she offered it to him, he put a hand up. “No thanks, I don’t drink,” he replied, giving Snoke a kind smile. 

Rey never quite caught the expression that her hostess gave her in return, but she did continue leaning against the railing as she watched him begin to talk with Snoke, explaining that he was on a mission of the utmost importance. Until he was done, drinking was postponed, and he wouldn’t rest until he found what he was looking for. 

“Sounds rather dull,” Snoke replied, not showing him nearly an ounce of that kindness that she’d shown to Rey when she’d arrived. Red flags continued to pop up in her thoughts as she watched Snoke promptly excuse herself, then she began to wander up the stairs. 

Taking a deep breath, Rey began to make her way downstairs at the same time, and as she met Snoke’s eyes on the way down, none of the earlier softness was present. The woman’s eyes were dark and cold, and almost threatening for a second before she seemed to remember herself, and she gave her guest a brief upward twitch of her lips. In return, she gave her a nod, and continued walking down the stairs until she was walking past the odd stranger at the bar. 

She had to get out of there, she was starting to get the idea that something about this place was very, very off. Her heart was pounding an unholy beat in her chest as she walked about the spacious first floor of the inn, wondering just where the hell her clothes had gone off to. There was little doubt in her mind that she needed to grab them and go, and run as far as she could into the storm on foot until she found the nearest village, then the nearest Babylon candle. But where had Jyn and Snoke put her things?

“What brings you here?” a voice asked from behind her, and she whipped around to see the older man from earlier staring at her curiously from where he stood near the bar, his sopping wet clothing dripping all over the floor. 

It took her longer than she’d care to admit to find her voice. “I beg your pardon?”

“What brings you here?” the stranger continued asking. 

“I… uh… I just needed shelter for the night,” Rey admitted, tugging the robe even more tightly around herself as she felt a chill in the air pass through her. 

The stranger nodded. “So did we.”

“We?”

“I picked up a stray on the road,” the man explained. “He’s a sweet kid, but he’s got his head pretty far in the clouds, if you know what I mean.”

Immediately her thoughts turned to someone else who had definitely been a sweet kid with his head in the clouds, but she quickly shook him from her mind. This was not the time nor the place for her to be worrying about Ben Solo, and she had an escape to make. Actually, when she thought of the murderous look in Snoke’s eyes as she ascended the staircase, she realized they both needed to get out of there as quickly as they could. “Yeah, I know what you mean, but…” she walked closer to him, not wanting her voice to be heard through the house as Snoke did whatever the hell she was doing upstairs. “Listen to me, I don’t think we’re safe here.”

The man frowned, and instantly he stood up straight as he listened to her intently. “What do you mean?”

“I think there’s something odd about this place, and we need to leave.”

The stranger looked between her eyes curiously for a moment, but after a few seconds he began to nod, then his eyes drifted down, and he caught sight of her necklace she was wearing. “What is that?”

She looked down at the ruby. “This? I have no idea, I just…” got knocked out of the sky by it, “found it.”

Suddenly his expression grew serious as he stared intently at the necklace. Disappointment, fear, resignation, and sorrow crossing his face in no particular order as he looked down at the jewel on her neck. He looked up at her with a sigh. “I’m afraid the necklace belongs to me.”

She stared at him in confusion. “What?”

Meanwhile out in a barn off to the side of the inn, Ben had successfully put up the last of Luke’s horses in a stall for the night. He wiped a bead of sweat from his forehead, and leaned against a stall door for support as exhaustion washed over him in waves. 

But he knew he had to remain standing. He couldn’t rest yet, not until he found Rey. His dreams had been some kind of ominous, terrible warning that something terrible was going to happen to her, and he’d made her a promise to get her home. This stop at the inn was only meant as a temporary reprieve from the rain, Luke had told him. They weren’t going to stay the night they just needed to wait for the storm to abate. 

Outside, the rain and wind continued to pound against the barn walls, and Ben began to think that there would be no letting up from this storm. No second of relief or convenient moment to escape. It was only going to be hours upon hours of storm, likely going on well into the daylight. He peered curiously out of a nearby window, catching a vibrant flash of lightning as it struck the ground, then he winced at the violent boom of thunder that sounded overhead almost immediately after. 

Just as he recovered from his fright, the barn door opened, and a slightly damp brunette walked in carrying a tray with a single goblet of wine. He recognized her as the woman who had greeted them at the inn’s door, the one who had been rather quiet and waited patiently for the lady of the house to approach them before walking quietly away.  He gave her a smile as she walked in, and she seemed to struggle to return it as she approached, offering the tray out to him. 

Ben looked between the drink and her eyes. “Is this for me?”

She gave him a nod, and he grinned at her as he took the goblet from the tray. “Thank you,” he said, surprised that someone had actually thought to give him something. “That’s very kind of you. I’m… I’m Ben.”

He held out a hand, but the girl didn’t take it, instead opting to give him another polite—but forced—smile before she turned to head for the doors again. Shrugging awkwardly, he changed his course. “What’s your name, then?”

“Cassian,” she replied in an unexpectedly deep, masculine voice as she walked away. The sound of her had him slightly taken aback, but he tried not to be phased by it too much. This was a kingdom of magic after all, and he had no doubt that eventually he’d see weirder things. 

He fiddled with the goblet in his hands a little, recalling the first time he’d drank wine the night before when he and Phasma made the deal for him to bring back the fallen star. And oh, how wrong it felt to bring back a living person and present her to the woman he loved like this, but he’d made her a promise, and he loved Phasma, didn’t he?

Shaking his head, Ben looked down at the goblet in his hands, and slowly began to raise it to his lips. Hopefully the alcohol would clear his mind from its conflicts, calm him like he needed the storm to calm outside, but unfortunately, he never got to find out. 

Just as the wine brushed against his lips, the barn doors exploded open, and the most beautiful creature Ben had ever seen—a perfectly white, but damp from the rain unicorn—burst inside, neighing loudly as if it were screaming  _ at  _ him. In his effort to clear himself of its path, he dropped the goblet, red wine spilling out onto the hay of the floor as the creature ran past him. 

He looked up at it in shock, watching as it turned around, and gestured to the spilled wine with its hoof. Still staring blankly at it in surprise, Ben turned his gaze down to the ground, where the spilled wine was now steaming off of the ground in pure, white puffs. His blood ran cold as he looked at the goblet, realizing that what had been within it hadn’t just been a good wine at all, but  _ poison.  _ He’d nearly been poisoned, and there was only one source it could’ve come from. 

The unicorn neighed at him expectantly as it waited for him to make his move, and Ben came to the conclusion rather quickly that neither he nor Luke were safe here. Someone was trying to kill them, stop them from completing their missions. It was then that he recalled his dream when the stars had spoken to him, warning him of what Rey was facing and the danger she was in, that she had wandered into a  _ trap.  _

_ Oh shit.  _

Ben ran out of the barn without so much as another glance at the unicorn that had saved his life. He hadn’t even know he could run so fast, even with the wind and the rain whipping around him trying to slow him down, he ran until he reached the inn, practically slamming down the door as he screamed, “Luke! We have to get out of here!”

In the span of about two seconds, a good fifty different things happened. Ben registered the sight of Rey—wearing a bathrobe now, much to his confusion— standing in front of him, engaged in conversation with Luke as she held the necklace around her neck in one hand and had the other clenched in a nervous fist. Luke meanwhile was staring intently at the necklace, though upon hearing Ben’s shouts his hand reached for the hilt of the sword he kept at his side—the very same one he’d nearly killed Ben with earlier. Behind them both he could see the lady of the house descending the staircase with an alarmingly sharp piece of glass held firmly in her hand, and murder in her eyes. 

He’d been right, this was all a trap, but it wasn’t for him, it wasn’t for Luke, it was for Rey. 

The woman of the house reached the bottom of the stairs just as Luke unsheathed his sword, and she cried out as she brought it down over his head in a quick strike, but he blocked it just as fast, and the two of them began to engage in a violent duel. While they were distracted, he ran to Rey, whose eyes widened at the sight of him as he ran up to her, his hands finding their grip on her upper arms as he told her again, “Let’s get out of here!”

“Ben,” she breathed, looking as if she were torn between going with him and staying put where she was. He stared at her openly, wondering just what the hell she was doing. Luke’s battle with the woman who had set the trap for them was the perfect opportunity for the two of them to make their escape. They could slip out undetected and run away as far as their legs could carry them. Why didn’t she want to follow him? Did she still not trust him? Frankly, if that was the case he understood her perfectly. 

He didn’t have time to dwell on it, however, when the stranger suddenly thrust her arm out in the duel, then without touching him she threw Luke out of the inn’s still open front door and slammed it shut. Ben’s eyes widened with fear as he suddenly pulled Rey to stand just behind him, putting himself in front of her in what was likely to be a pitiful attempt to keep her out of harm’s way. He’d promised to get her home in one piece, and he wasn’t going to let anything break that promise. Not even a terrifying, murderous witch. 

Said witch immediately rounded on them, and as she began to walk toward them, Ben reached behind himself for Rey’s hand. “Run,” he said quietly, then he and Rey ran down the expanse of the front room, heading for the next closest door, but he heard it lock from the outside as they approached. Cursing under his breath, he led them over to the nearby windows, hoping they could at least jump through the glass to safety, but it was no use. The shudders slammed closed over the windows, rendering their final exit unavailable. 

The woman in front of them stared at them with a look Ben had never seen in anyone’s eyes before in his life. He could sense the evil in her stare, then she reached up her hands again, and around them the lanterns lining the inn walls began to explode. Streams of red and orange fire began to burn along the walls and the floors behind her, and as she began to approach them, the last of their exits were slowly, permanently sealed off. 

Ben’s heart hammered in his chest as he moved Rey backwards toward the wall on the far side of the room in a last ditch effort to get as far from this woman as possible. He felt fear coursing through his veins raw and untamed, and not for the first time he realized he was in way over his head with this mission for  Phasma. The whole thing made him wonder if she was truly worth it, if spiting Hux was even worth it. 

His heart dropped in his chest when the woman spoke, her voice becoming more masculine as she approached them. “The bearing heart of a Star at peace is so much better than your frightened little heart,” she said, holding the glass knife high above her head, then she and the flames moved closer, and the appearance of the kind old woman she was began to melt away. Ben and Rey watched, horrified as she grew taller and thinner, until she stood before them as a frightening looking man with scars running across a misshapen, wrinkled face that had formed a wicked grin. Rey’s fingers dug into Ben’s shoulders as he spoke, finishing his sentence from a moment earlier with a growl. “Still, better than no heart at all.”

The warlock was almost upon them now, and Ben stared up at him in fright, knowing death was mere seconds away for both him and Rey as they stood there pinned against the wall by the encroaching warlock and the flames that now surrounded them, creating a wall on three sides. He wished he had a way to just miraculously ship them out of there and away to safety, to somehow get past the evil man standing before them and run until they couldn’t be found, but he didn’t have that did he?

_ Wait _ , he thought, then he reached down into the pocket of his coat, his hand searching desperately, frantically for the candle that had gotten him into this mess in the first place. He nearly cried when his hand wrapped around the blackened wax of the Babylon candle, then he pulled it out of his pocket, and looked into the flames surrounding them, which had started to grow hotter the closer they got. 

Sweat beaded on his forehead as he gripped the candle tightly in his hand, then he turned to Rey, his frightened eyes meeting hers, both looking like they feared the other was the last person they’d ever see as Ben whispered, “Hold me tight, think of home,” then he waited one last, split second for her arms to encircle his waist, holding him tightly against her before he thrust his hand with the candle into the flame. 

Ben screamed as the fire burned his hand, the pain unbearable as the wick of the candle caught fire. He could hear Rey muttering for him to hold on behind him, and he clenched his jaw shut as suddenly the red and orange flames gave way to a blur of white and midnight blue, and a shocking downpour of rain. 


	5. Captain Dameron

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I AM SO SORRY THIS TOOK SO LONG. But I had three other WIPS this month and I was focused on wrapping the other two before I went back to this, and the muse kind of drifted a bit. I think it's back, though so like let's finish this, shall we?

Everything was wet, wild, and loud wherever they’d wound up. Ben found himself twice as disoriented as he’d been the first time he’d traveled this way, and for a moment, he almost thought that he and Rey were standing on a cloud in the middle of a thunderstorm. 

Wait, that was reality. They were  _ actually _ standing on a cloud, and the rain was pouring around them. Lightning lit up the sky on all sides, causing his coat to swirl in the wind behind him as Rey struggled to hold her bathrobe together. If they’d been anywhere else, and it was anyone but the two of them, the situation would’ve been alarmingly funny, but it was only immensely terrifying. 

“What the hell did you do?” he shouted to her, staring at the remnants of the babylon candle’s wax as they dripped from his hand, washed away by the torrential downpour around them. 

Rey scoffed, the sound barely audible as she trudged over to him, and pointed to her own chest with the hand that wasn’t holding her robe together. “Me?” she asked incredulously. “What did  _ I  _ do? More like what did  _ you _ do? Think of home? That was a great plan!”

“We were seconds from being stabbed to death and you wanted a better plan?” He was gaping at her now, trying to fight back the rage in his chest as a particularly strong gust of wind nearly blew him over. “I’m sorry you’re alive, princess, I’ll make sure we die next time.”

“Oh, jump off the cloud,” Rey hissed at him. “You could’ve been more specific!”

“How? Some crazy… person was going to cut your heart out, and you wanted more specific instructions? We had  _ seconds,  _ Rey,  _ seconds.  _ We didn’t have time!”

“We could’ve—”

She never got to finish her sentence, at that moment, the ground swept out from under them, and they both fell against one another as walls came up from below, and it took Ben far too long to realize they’d been swept into a net. Everything passed in a blur of motion, the only thing he could be certain of was Rey’s warm body pressed up against his in the freezing rain as the net moved. He couldn’t see anything, he could barely even hear anything aside from the thunder, the wind, and his and Rey’s screams. 

It wasn’t until the net came down harshly on a wooden surface that things finally began to come into focus again. After that things descended into shouting, lots of shouting. There were people moving around them rapidly in some sort of rain gear that made it difficult to distinguish just who these people were, or what they looked like. All of them were yelling things about some sort of catch, which Ben figured was probably referring to him and the star they’d captured in their net. 

He turned to look at Rey with wide eyes as they yelled for a captain, finding a horror in her eyes that matched his in the flashing dark and provided neither of them with any semblance of comfort whatsoever. He lifted up a hand to shield his face from the rain as the men on board the ship began to gather into a circle around their net, peering down at them like they were zoo creatures. 

“Look, Captain Dameron! Caught ourselves a little bonus!” one of the men shouted, gesturing to someone that Ben couldn’t see. 

A man broke through the crowd then, staring at them from behind strands of short, dark hair that had fallen over his forehead as the wind whipped said strands all around his face. His eyes seemed dark, though that could’ve been the lighting, and he looked almost menacing as he leered down at them. 

Ben was completely terrified, and for the second time, he realized he was in way, way over his head. 

“Think they’re lightning marshals?” Another voice asked, then the captain turned his gaze on him. 

“They don’t look like lightning marshals to me!”

The first voice laughed. “Why else would anyone be up here in the middle of a storm?”

“Let’s think…” the captain replied, then he put his hands on his hips. “Maybe for the same fucking reason we are!” He gestured broadly to the chaotic sky around them, then he turned to him and Rey. “Now who are you?”

Ben didn’t know what to say. He opened his mouth, but the words just didn’t come to him as he stared, gaped at the captain of whatever ship they appeared to be floating on. This was most certainly the wrong response if the scowl the captain was giving him meant anything.

The captain shook his head, then he straightened before addressing the others. “Perhaps a night in our wonderful brig will loosen their lips,” he said, then suddenly the other men—who Ben quickly deduced to be pirates of some sort—descended upon them, taking Ben and Rey into their clutches as the nets were removed from them, and they were instead held down by the men’s hands. 

“Get off of me!” Rey shouted, still feisty as ever as she and Ben were led toward a wooden door with an iron frame. “I’ll kill you! I’ll kill all of you! Let go of me!”

“Rey, just let it go!” he shouted back, knowing that resistance was futile. There were far more pirates than there were of the two of them. They were well and thoroughly trapped, but Rey didn’t listen to him, threatening to punch or kill a pirate left and right, and Ben worried for her safety. They didn’t know these men, and so far in their encounter with them, they’d threatened to throw them into the brig and given him the vague sense they’d cut his throat if he made the wrong move. He was no expert, but threatening to kill them seemed like the wrong move. 

For all Ben knew, they weren’t above hitting people, or torturing them. At the thought of either himself or Rey strapped down to a table for torture, Ben felt his heart drop in his chest, and raw fear coursed through his veins as they were walked through the door, and down a set of stairs until they were thrown to the ground roughly. 

Ben’s hands had only just reached out to catch him when he was grabbed again, and he heard Rey shouting more obscenities at the pirates as they were both sat down upon two chairs the men had found, and tied up. By the time the men were done, Ben couldn’t move his arms, and it would seem despite her struggling, that Rey couldn’t either. Once they finished, a man informed them that the captain would speak with them when they were done upstairs, then the pirates disappeared above deck. 

The moment they were alone, Ben and Rey both began to pull against their restraints in some sort of mutually unspoken agreement to fight like hell to get out of there. Neither one of them seemed to care about what happened after that, but he quickly realized that the damn ropes weren’t going to give, and he slumped forward in the chair while she kept on fighting. Honestly, as useless as it was, he admired her efforts. She was certainly giving it everything she had, and he respected that. He also couldn’t help the guilt he’d felt at bringing her into this situation. In hindsight, he should’ve just given her the babylon candle and let her return home without worrying about having to help him. He wasn’t her problem, and he shouldn’t have made himself hers to deal with. 

“Rey,” he said after a while, but she only grunted in response as she kept trying to get out of the ropes. “ _ Rey. _ ”

Panting heavily, Rey slowly halted her actions, then she leaned back against the chair, and he did much the same, the two of them leaning their heads against one another as they calmed down from their efforts. Ben swallowed nervously, then he sighed. “It’s useless. We should save our strength for whatever they’re going to do to us next.”

Rey sniffled beside him. “Yeah, you’re right, but… Ben, what if they kill us? Saving our strength won’t do us any good, then.”

“We don’t know that they’ll do that.”

“Well, they didn’t exactly give us a warm welcome, so I don’t know what to think,” she replied, and though he couldn’t see her, he could hear in her voice how much she wanted desperately to cry, and again he felt immense guilt for his role in her suffering. 

Things fell silent after that, and for a while the only sound he could hear was that of the thunder crashing outside as the wind whipped against the hull of the ship. At one point, Ben felt Rey’s hand brush against his from where they were tied together, then he felt her shift away just as quickly as if his touch had burned her. Wouldn’t that be something? Burning a star when he was just a man and made of flesh? But wasn’t that what she was made of, too? For the moment at least, it seemed that Rey was flesh and blood. He’d felt her hand in his, how soft it was, and how she felt when she was pressed up against him when they’d climbed the crater. 

Ben was interrupted in his thoughts by Rey’s trembling voice breaking the silence. “Do you think they’ll do it quickly?”

“What?”

“Killing us.”

“I don’t know… I’m trying not to think about it. I just… Rey, I’m sorry I dragged you into this,” he said quietly, then he felt her shift against him. “I’m… It was so selfish of me. I should have just given you my candle and let you go home.”

“But where would that have left you, then?” Her hand shifted against him again, and he tried not to think about what it was doing to him. “Ben, you would’ve been just as stranded as me. There’s no telling how long it would’ve taken you to get home without that candle.”

“And now neither one of us has one and we’ve been captured by pirates,” he grumbled bitterly, then he slumped forward. “I’m so sorry I got us into this.”

Rey shook her head behind him. “No, don’t be. At least we got to go on an adventure before we died. I’ve been watching people doing that for centuries. Always looking, never touching. I never could, and I was always curious…”

“I never thought it’d be like this,” Ben replied, then he almost laughed. “Who would’ve thought that a nobody shop boy like me would end up trapped on a floating pirate ship with a star?”

“Well, when you put it like that, it sounds absolutely mad,” she replied, then Ben let loose the laugh that had been building in his chest, filling the empty, cold, uncomfortable room with musical giggles as he and Rey completely lost it. 

Ben laughed. “But really, even when I knew I’d shipped myself to the wrong place, I thought I would just find a lump of celestial rock. I didn’t ever think I’d…”

“End up with me?”

The two chuckled lightheartedly again, then Rey sighed, and the laughter stopped as she spoke up again. “But Ben, you’re not just a shop boy. I don’t know what it is about you, but the second I looked at you I could feel… you were good. There was something about you that just screamed that you were more than people thought you were.”

“Thanks, I guess.”

“And assuming we don’t die when that captain comes back in here, I owe you a great debt,” she said, then he felt her hand reaching around until her fingers wrapped around his, and for some reason that made his breath catch in his throat. “You saved my life… thank you.”

Ben’s mind raced at a million miles per hour for a minute, then he eased against her, his fingers turning from where they were bound to wrap around hers as well as they held hands in the brig of the floating ship. A part of him felt a little bit weird about it given how antagonistic they’d been with one another up until that point, but another part really liked how warm her hand was, how perfectly it fit in with his own. 

“I’d do it again,” he promised her, then he took in a deep breath. “And I don’t know how, Rey, but somehow I’ll get us out of this, I swear.”

“I believe you,” she said quietly, though god knew she didn’t have any reason to. 

Still the sentiment meant a lot to him, and Ben held her hand for the next several minutes as things grew quiet again. He listened to the creaking and groaning of the ship as it made its way through the rough and intense thunderstorm. The thunder itself was obscenely loud, and both he and Rey flinched, gripping each other’s hands tighter as the booms rolled around them. 

At one point, Ben began to realize how tired he was, and his eyes began to drift shut, when Rey’s soft, deep voice interrupted him. “So… can you tell me about her?”

“About who?”

“Phasma. Can you tell me about her? She’s the reason you’re doing all this.”

Ben froze, trying to think of everything he knew about Phasma, and coming up blank. “That’s… I don’t think there’s much more to tell you.”

“Really? I mean… what is she like?”

All Ben did in response initially was shrug, though he never let go of her hand as he answered her. “She is above my station, for one thing. We… the reason I’m here is because I told her I’d bring you back so she wouldn’t marry someone else.”

“I know that part, but Ben, correct me if I’m wrong, but she only started showing an interest in you once you had something to offer her, right?”

_ Where was she going with this? _

“Right.”

“Ben, I don’t know much about love, but what I do know is…” She paused for a moment, as if she were unsure of what she were about to say. Ben wished more than anything that he could see her face in that moment; could see what she was thinking. “It’s unconditional. It’s not something you can buy with a lump of celestial rock.”

Again he froze, feeling thoroughly like she’d just read exactly into his mind, but he ignored it, not wanting to think ill of the woman he loved. “This wasn’t… No, it wasn’t that, Rey, it was…”

“It was, what?”

“A way for me to prove how I felt,” he finished, then he shook his head. “Listen, all I know is that I love her. Just… Just trust me.”

Rey fell quiet again after that, and he couldn’t help but notice the way she finally let go of his hand in the aftermath of that confession. He couldn’t put his finger on it, but something about the exchange put a sour taste in his mouth that left him feeling tense and awkward for several minutes afterward. 

Was it even true? Was Phasma someone he actually loved or was Rey right? There were quite possibly too many conditions to their love and he wasn’t entirely ignorant of the fact that Phasma did not love him back. It was possible that this had all been one massive mistake, but the thought of that forced him to confront the idea that he’d put the star through all of this for nothing, and well, Ben wasn’t quite ready to think about that, so he pushed it from his mind. 

They stayed quiet through the remainder of the thunderstorm, neither one of them speaking so much as a single word. Rey’s hand stayed noticeably distant from his, at least, it stayed as far away as it could given their confines. It was incredibly difficult for him, but he managed to ignore the way he missed its warmth. He was not going to be thinking about that. No, sir, he was not. He was going to think about anything but Rey’s hand and how bad he felt that he’d gotten her into this situation. Anything else was okay, thinking about Rey’s hand was not allowed.

Eventually, the storm began to subside, and the flashes of lightning outside grew less and less frequent until they almost ceased entirely. “Ben?” she asked softly, and he suddenly jolted from the sound of her voice after she’d gone so long without saying anything to him. 

“Yeah? Are you alright?”

“I’m fine,” she promised, then she cleared her throat. “They’re probably going to interrogate us before killing us. We should get our story straight.”

Ben nodded. “Yeah, that sounds like a good plan,” he replied, straightening his posture as if she could see him. “So what were we doing on that cloud?”

Another awkward pause, then Rey giggled slightly. “I have no idea,” she admitted, then Ben shook his head as he pictured the blush that crept up her cheeks at that. 

“Maybe we could have been newlyweds traveling together.”

“ _ Newlyweds? _ ”

“Maybe that’s a thing people do on this side of the wall. Spend time after their wedding together... on clouds.”

Rey openly guffawed at this, and Ben’s lips shifted into a smile at the realization that he’d made her laugh. “Ben, I’m fairly certain that is not a thing anyone does  _ anywhere. _ ”

“I don’t know, but the newlywed thing isn’t a bad start, it gives us an excuse for why we’re together,” he replied, then he blushed at the realization that he’d have to pretend he was married to Rey.

Another small giggle left her, then she relaxed against him again. “Okay, so what’s our story, then? How did we meet?”

Ben thought for a moment, but he came up with nothing. For someone who was only on this whole adventure for love, he certainly knew very little of romance. “I’m not sure.”

“You were a shop boy, right? Maybe I was one of your customers.”

“... sounds reasonable, keep going,” he said, then she giggled again. She really did have a nice laugh, he couldn’t help but notice. 

“Um, okay, we um… I kept coming in everyday for chocolate because I thought you were… handsome.”

“Oh?”

“Shut up, I didn’t mean it like that,” she said, and he could hear the blush creeping up her cheeks in her voice. Without even having to look at her, he could almost see it. “Not that you’re… um… bad looking by any means.”

“You find me attractive?” Ben asked teasingly, then her hand swatted his as best she could while he howled with laughter. 

“Quiet down! They’ll hear us!”

“Anyway, then you made a fool of yourself professing how…  _ handsome  _ I am—“

“I’ll kill you,” she promised him, but she was laughing with that sweet sort of musical lilt in her voice again, and he knew she wasn’t angry with him; not in the slightest. 

Ben snickered quietly under his breath, then he sighed. “And within a few months we got married.”

“When did we do it? And where?”

“A week ago in a church, perhaps? We didn’t exactly have the largest audience.”

“Oh? Why is that?”

Ben paused for a moment, then he grinned as his hand brushed against hers once more. “Your father can’t stand me. We got married in secret.”

“And did we runaway after?”

“Yes, and that’s how we ended up on the cloud,” he replied, grinning ear to ear as he thought up their hypothetical situation. “Trying to avoid my death at your father's hands.”

“How romantic,” she replied, then they both broke out into another round of shared laughter as her hand wrapped around his once more. “Alright, it seems like a solid story, hopefully they’ll believe it.”

The smile slowly began to fade from his face as he thought about what might happen if they didn’t believe it. “Yeah,” he said quietly. “Hopefully.”

Another hour passed before they finally heard the sound of the brig’s door opening, and Ben and Rey’s heads snapped in that direction as a bunch of loud, masculine voices entered their ears, though once the door closed only one pair of boots clomped their way down the stairs. His hand tightened its grip around Rey’s as the man from before—captain Dameron, he vaguely recalled— appeared in the dim light of the room. 

Now that he wasn’t wearing layers upon layers of rain gear, Ben was finally able to get a decent look at him. The man was the sort that the ladies in his village would’ve swooned over. His hair was a dark enough color to rival Ben’s, his eyes spoke of a mischief and yet a severity that to the unknowing eye would come off as a bit dominating, and his shirt had come apart from its ties at the top, exposing a good portion of the smooth skin on his chest. 

Ben, knowing nothing of captain Dameron’s true nature, was absolutely terrified of a man who couldn’t have been much older than he was. 

The captain stared down at them for a few more seconds, then he crossed his arms over his chest. “Who are you?” He asked, and his voice implied that there was no room for fighting with him or refusing to answer whatsoever. 

It took him a minute to find his voice, then Ben took in a shaky breath, and spoke, “I’m Ben Solo, this is… this is my wife, Rey.”

“Your wife, huh?” The captain asked, then he began to circle the two of them, undoubtedly letting his eyes wash over Rey’s disheveled form. He hoped for her sake that the bathrobe was properly covering her. His voice got louder as he spoke again, loud enough that Ben didn’t doubt the men on the other side could hear him. “I don’t know, she’s far too radiant to belong to just one man.” He couldn’t see the captain’s face, but he didn’t want to think about the way he was looking at her if Rey’s shivering against his back was anything to go by. Then he laughed, and shouted. “It’s share and share alike aboard this vessel, am I right?”

His shouts were greeted by loud cheers that sickened Ben to his stomach, and as the captain circled back around to him, he glared furiously at his captor. “Don’t you touch her,” he growled, unsure where his sudden determination to defend her had come from.

The captain chuckled, then he shook his head at Ben. “You may think you’re showing a little spirit in front of your lady friend—”

“My wife.”

“But if you talk back to me again, I’ll feed your tongue to the dogs!” he cried, receiving even more loud cheers from the other side of the door. Ben couldn’t help but notice the almost sarcastic sort of glee in the captain’s eyes as he spoke, and he wondered if perhaps everything was not what it seemed. 

“We’re newlyweds, we’re… we’re just traveling home. Please don’t hurt us,” Ben said in a rush, but the captain ignored the plea. 

“And where would home be?” he asked, seeming almost genuinely curious, though his voice kept its gruffness intact. 

“The wall, England,” Ben answered, then the captain froze in his pacing, and turned on him abruptly. 

“What did you say?”

“England, the wall village.”

And suddenly the captain’s entire demeanor shifted as he crouched down, and leaned forward. “And you’re not lying to me?”

“No, no sir,” Ben said fervently shaking his head. “We’re going to the wall. That’s my— _ our _ —home.”

The captain backed away, nodding slowly, then his lips parted in a grin. “England, you said?”

“England,” Ben replied confusedly, then he looked into the captain’s eyes, watching as the man in front of him nodded. 

Before he could even blink, the captain was on his knees undoing the ties that bound their wrists. Then much to Ben’s confusion, he began to explain himself. “Listen, I’m sorry about the imprisonment. I’ve got a reputation to maintain, and it doesn’t bode well for me if I just let strangers onto my ship without questioning them first.”

Now Ben was blinking, his fear giving way to pure befuddlement. “What?”

“I’m going to need you to play along,” the captain told them, then both Ben and Rey repeated his question from a moment prior in unison. “Just… trust me.” 

His voice quickly resumed its rough tone as he continued to untie the pair of them, “Thought you could just wander onto my ship did you? And live to tell the tale?” he asked, and now the mocking sound in his speech became alarmingly clear to Ben. This had all been a ruse, plain and simple, but a terrifying one nonetheless. He lowered his volume again, then as he undid the ropes holding their waists, he told Ben, “Take off your coat.”

Ben wasn’t about to disobey an order from this man. For all he knew, a fate worse than death still awaited them on the other side. Without hesitating Ben quickly reached for the ends of his sleeves, removing “Bad mistake Mr. Solo! And the last one you’ll ever make!” the captain shouted, then he took Ben’s coat from his hands, and ran over to the window before thrusting it open, and tossing Ben’s coat right out of it. 

For a moment, Ben shivered as the cool air washed over his much thinner undershirt, but then the captain quickly shut the window, and pointed to Ben. “There’s a staircase on the other side of this room, go down it and wait for me,” he said, then he turned to Rey. “Now you, my dear, I need you to follow me, and act like I’ve just thrown your husband out the window, because that’s what my crew needs to think just happened.”

“What?” Rey asked, then she looked over at Ben. “What?”

“Just listen to me, I promise, you’re safe on board my vessel. The Falcon is the safest ship in the skies,” the captain promised, then he gestured to the staircase at the back of the room, and held out a hand for Rey. “Now do we have a plan?”

Rey looked at him hesitantly, then Ben looked between the two of them, and nodded. Then the captain gave her a soft smile as she took his hand. “I promise, I’m not going to hurt you, but I need to make it look like I am, so I’m sorry,” he said, then he turned to Ben. “Go, I’ll meet you down there in a few seconds.”

Giving Rey one last, lingering stare, Ben nodded, then he walked to the back of the room, and descended the stairs as the captain yanked Rey’s hand in the direction he’d come from. He could hear Rey’s screaming even as he walked down, and a part of him wanted desperately to turn around and help her, but he forced himself to remember that they were just pretending, and it wasn’t real. This knowledge didn’t make him walk down the stairs any faster, in fact, he probably reached the enormous captain’s quarters at the same time Rey and the captain did. 

The room he wound up in was enormous, and he didn’t even have the time to take in the fact that Rey was safe and unharmed as he looked around the large, almost cavernous room, and wondered how such a thing was possible on a ship. The windows went from the floor to the ceiling in some places, and there was a large desk at the center of it all with a globe and a calligraphy set that looked like it had been used fairly recently. Overall, it was very tidy in its appearance, not a single thing out of place, which was the opposite he’d have expected from a brutish pirate. 

Something about the Captain Dameron told him he was anything but what he’d let his crew think he was. 

“So, that went well,” the captain said, then he sighed, and clapped his hands together as he stepped away from Rey. “I’m Poe, by the way, Poe Dameron, and welcome to the Millenium Falcon.” He gestured around himself to his sky vessel. “The finest ship sailing the skies. Now, since we’ve gotten our introductions over with…” Poe walked into the center of the room, then he pointed to the two of them. “I want you to tell me all about England.”

Ben slowly made his way over to Rey, staring at the captain _ —Poe— _ in confusion the entire time. “So you’re… not going to kill us?”

Poe’s jaw dropped slightly. “Are you kidding me? Do you think I’d actually kill people? God, no!” he shouted, then he moved past them, and toward another set of doors on the far side of the room. “It’s impossible to get bloodstains out of a silk shirt anyway. So far my worst crime is probably dropping men’s coats on the heads of innocent bystanders really.”

At this, Rey giggled, then she stepped forward, and her expression sobered as she stood by Ben’s side. “But won’t your crew recognize us? Or… him at least? I don’t know what you planned to do with me.”

A smirk appeared on Poe’s face. “Honey, you’re absolutely stunning, don’t get me wrong, but he’s more my type,” he replied, pointing to Ben, who promptly blushed at his words. “But, I did think about this, and I have a plan.” With that, he opened the doors with a flourish, and revealed the biggest walk-in closet Ben had ever seen. “By the time I’m done, your own mother won’t recognize you.”

Well, Ben didn’t know his mother, but he was certainly both hopeful and a little bit afraid by Poe’s meaning as he gestured for them to walk inside the closet. He looked over at Rey, then the two of them had another unspoken conversation with their eyes as they agreed to go in there together, then they walked inside the closet to begin the mysterious transformation Poe had spoken of. 


	6. Transformation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yep I'm definitely back! This is about to really pick up so hold onto your butts.

The closet was lined down two long columns with clothes of every color imaginable present. Rey stared at it in awe as she walked in, a smile growing on her face as she ran her fingertips over the soft fabrics. Some felt like the most wonderful silks, others felt like perhaps wool or maybe some cottons. But all of them were undoubtedly beautiful. 

She could tell they belonged to both men and women alike. Some of them were dresses fit for queens and others were capes meant to be worn by a king. Each and every single piece she touched, though had Rey feeling a sense of excitement as she walked past them. 

“All of this is yours?” Ben asked from behind her, and as she looked over at him, he had the same thoroughly impressed look on his face that she wore on hers. 

“Yeah, I’ve uh, collected some stuff over the years,” Poe said, leaning against the entryway casually. Then he walked forward, and cleared his throat. “Anyway, we’ve got a little more than two hours before we make port, so this is our first order of business.”

Ben quirked an innocent eyebrow. “What is?”

Poe looked him up and down as he walked further into the room. “Getting you out of those dreary clothes,” he said, then he looked at Ben in earnest while Rey began to peruse the dresses lining the walls. “I know black’s usually an evil color, but I think you’d look good in it, Just… find whatever pieces you can and… uh… make it work.”

He then walked over to Rey, watching as she eyeballed a dark blue dress and a white corset. “That would be perfect on you.”

“What’s wrong with what I’m wearing now?” she asked confusedly, not seeing what the problem was with the robe she’d boarded the ship in. 

The captain gave her another laugh. “Sweetheart, you’re wearing a bathrobe,” he said, then he plucked the corset and dress from the rack, and shoved them into her hands before he moved away again. “Now, I’m going to leave you two to it, get dressed quickly then we’ll let the magic begin,” he added, walking past Ben for the express purpose of ruffling his dark hair as he walked out.

A few awkward seconds passed once the doors closed as Rey held the clothes in her hands, unsure exactly what to do with them. She had no earthly idea how to work a corset, and the dress had so many miles of fabric, she was certain she’d get lost in it, but she’d be damned if she didn’t try. “We should probably turn around,” Ben said after a moment, causing her to jump from fright.

“What?” 

“So we don’t see anything.”

“Oh,” she breathed, then she quickly nodded, “You’re right, I’ll just um…”

“Yeah, me too,” he replied, then they both turned around, and Rey began to work at the ties of her robe. 

Her heart was pounding in her chest as she unbound her clothing, setting the dress and corset on the floor for the time being as she reached up to her shoulders to slide the robe off of her body so that the only thing left on her body would be the cold metal of the necklace that had knocked her out of the sky. She closed her eyes, feeling her breathing shake as she slowly slid the robe off of herself, doing her best to convince her mind that Ben had turned around, and he wasn’t going to see her. She wasn’t even sure why she was so worried about him seeing her without her clothes on. After all, they weren’t even friends. What the hell did she have to worry about if he saw her like this?

Something nagged at the back of her mind, but she chose to ignore it in favor of reaching for her corset, finding a set of pants fell out of it as she picked it up, which she promptly threw on. Automatically the lessened nudity made her feel a little bit better as she reached for the corset again, and despite the fact that her fingers were shaking, she wrapped it around her front, and began to slide the hooks together. 

Behind her, she could hear fabric rustling as Ben got dressed on the far side of the room, and her thoughts strayed away from her as she reached for the strings at the back of the corset, and began to tighten it. She gasped at the first tug of her hands, suddenly feeling the foreign sensation of her airway being restricted as her hands tugged on the strings again while she thought about the man on the other side of the room. She could hear his wet shirt crumpling to the floor, and she wondered what his bared chest looked like underneath. When she’d been pressed up against him the night before on the side of her crater, he’d felt firm—impossibly so. 

She dared to wonder how well that feeling was reflected by what was actually underneath his shirt. Despite having never seen Ben without clothes on, she could already picture well-defined muscles, like he’d been professionally sculpted. She wasn’t entirely sure why this was having such an effect on her, but it was certainly distracting. 

The only thing pulling her back to reality was the feeling of her own hands tugging the corset a bit too tight, causing her to gasp again as she began to tie the strings together, deciding she’d reached her limit for the moment. 

“Are you alright?” Ben’s voice asked from the other side of the room, and she froze. 

“I’m fine, I’m just… I’ve never worn a corset before,” she replied, then her cheeks flushed as she heard him laugh. She rolled her eyes as she finished tying the strings, then she bent down awkwardly —thanks to the tightness of her corset— and reached for the dress, searching through the layers of tulle before she found the opening, then she slid it over her head, and reached around the back to find there were more strings.  _ Great. _

These strings were a bit more complicated than those belonging to her corset, and despite her best efforts, Rey quickly found herself struggling as she worked to put them through the loops on the back of the dress. It was useless, though, and she gave up after a few more seconds, and walked over to the mirror Poe had on display at the far end of the room, taking in her reflection for a few seconds. The dress fit her well, even without the ties. The color flattered her, and though she’d yet to see herself in anything that wasn’t the dress— she hadn’t exactly gotten the greatest look at the silver ensemble she’d arrived on Earth in, and the bathrobe was, well, a bathrobe— she had a feeling the effect it created on her was one Poe would approve of. 

Still, it was a little bit loose around her corseted waist, and she frowned as she resumed her efforts at the ties. Again, it was pointless. There would be no completing of this task on her own, she realized, and she took in a shaky breath as she remembered the other person in the room. “Ben?” she asked softly, then she heard his movements on his side of the room come to a halt. 

“Yeah?” he asked, and as she looked up into the mirror, she was relieved to find he was fully clothed, wearing a white coat with a hint of black on the trim, and a dark brown waistcoat underneath paired with a black looking pair of trousers that disappeared beneath the regal coat. 

She felt a brief wave of disappointment at the view of him this obscured—why in the hell was she  _ thinking about that? _ — but quickly shook herself from those thoughts again as she cleared her throat. “Um, I just need you to help me tie this. I’m… I’m decent, I swear.”

If Rey were looking more closely, she would’ve seen the way Ben’s whole body shivered at her words, but she missed it as she downcast her eyes, listening to the sound of him turning around and walking toward her. She also missed the way his breath hitched when he took in the sight of her in the dress, how his hands trembled as they reached up to work the ties of her dress through the loops. But she certainly felt it though from the way they shook as they brushed against the fabric of her dress, and through the silk and the hard planes of her corset, she felt him shaking with the same nervousness she had. 

“Do you think they still believe we’re married?” she asked as his trembling fingers began to tie the strings together. 

Ben let out a rush of air that sounded vaguely like a laugh, and she saw him smiling in the mirror when she looked up, feeling a rush of blood to her cheeks as she took in that sight. It was as if the sun itself had come through the previous night’s storm, showing its small rays in the form of that smile. “I don’t know, but I doubt it. I mean, the crew thinks I’m dead, so it’s only the captain, and I don’t think he believed it for a second.”

She laughed as he finished tying her up, then she turned around to face him, trying not to notice what the very very short distance between them was doing to her. “To be fair, we didn’t exactly try very hard to sell it.”

“We came up with a perfectly good story, Rey. Truly a romance for the ages,” he said sarcastically, and again she was lost in that smile. 

_ Stop thinking about that damn smile.  _

“Oh, yes, women everywhere are just tripping over their toes to marry you,” she teased, then she walked past him as a smile of her own grew wide on her face. She tried to hide it as she rasped her fingers against the wooden door of the closet to announce to Poe that they were dressed. 

The captain appeared at the door not a second later, then he looked between the flushed faces of the two people in his closet suspiciously, giving Rey a wink as she walked out. “Gorgeous, truly stunning,” he said, then he turned to Ben, and again, he was looking at Ben’s hair, which only just covered his ears, sweeping past them in subtle waves. “Now for you… there’s a lot of potential with that hair… Have you ever thought about wearing it long?”

Ben blinked at him a few times, then the captain grinned like a cheshire cat, and he linked their arms together before he led Ben over to a chair he’d positioned in the center of the room. Without waiting for Ben to say anything, the captain gently pushed him into it, then proceeded to wrap a barber’s cloth around his shoulders. “So then, tell me all about England,” he said, then he walked over to the desk, grabbing a pair of scissors and a comb off of it before he walked back over to Ben, and set to work on his hair. 

Rey walked over to them, sitting on the desk casually as Ben looked up at her with scared, pleading eyes while the captain ran the comb through his hair. “Um… I wouldn’t know anything, I’m… I’ve only been there a short while.”

“I knew you two weren’t married,” Poe said teasingly, then he cleared his throat. “What about you, Ben? You lived there, didn’t you?”

“Well, yes, I live there with my father… wait… you’re not from England?”

“No, sadly, no… But I’ve heard the stories. I lapped them up when I was young,” Poe admitted, his voice sounding like it was genuinely full of raw emotion for the first time since they’d met him. “When I was a boy I used to run out from the market away from my father, and I always ran over to the wall, spying on England where it was so close I could touch it.”

As Poe told them stories about growing up near the wall, Rey watched, mystified as Ben’s hair grew longer, his curls more defined, as their captain worked his magic on them. He styled it to perfection, letting it just barely sweep his shoulders as it framed his face in a way that was almost—no, not almost, it  _ was— _ prince-like. He looked damn near regal by the time Poe was finished with him, and Rey’s heart skipped a beat at the sight. 

It wasn’t until she heard Ben’s voice speaking up again that she finally snapped out of her trance. “But why do all of this? The fake murders, the fake intimidation? Surely you’d be happier to just be yourself,” he was telling Poe. 

“I don’t know, it’s the little things like that which make me happy,” Poe said, then he smiled. “Well, that and my first mate, Finn? Wait till you meet him, he’s… the best guy you’ll ever meet.” And suddenly he had that look in his eyes, one she’d seen on herself in the mirror a moment earlier. She wanted to ask him about it, but she was quickly interrupted by Ben. 

“I just… Why fight to be accepted by people you don’t actually want to be like?” he asked Poe, seeming almost ignorant of his musings about his first mate. 

Rey scoffed, nearly laughing at the hypocrisy of Ben’s statement. “Yeah, why would anyone do that to himself?” she inquired sarcastically, hoping it stuck with him that that was precisely what he was doing with Phasma. He was wasting his time making himself miserable trying to be like her. 

“Exactly,” Ben said, and she nearly threw her hands up in the air at the fact that he’d missed the point entirely. Did he not see that all Phasma wanted from any man—not even just him—was whatever he could offer her? She would never love him, and him bending over backwards to please her had brought him nothing but misery and shrinking hope. He’d been so distracted by her, in fact, that he’d managed to miss his journey to find his own long lost mother and wound up colliding with her instead. 

The more time they spent together, though, the less she minded that last bit. Ben was growing on her as the time passed. At first, he’d undoubtedly been a bit of a nuisance, and she had wanted nothing more than to be as far away from him as possible. She’d wanted to be back up in the sky with her brothers and sisters as quickly as possible, forgetting that she’d ever met him, but now… she wasn’t so sure about how fast she wanted to return to the sky. Those extra few days at Ben’s side suddenly didn’t seem so bad, and with the new clothes and haircut, he wasn’t terrible to look at either. 

She was trying hard not to think about that last part, and failing miserably. After all what was she supposed to do when he was just sitting there smiling up at her looking like royalty? For now, Rey seemed to have taken a human form, and apparently everything that came with it, including hormones.  _ Fantastic.  _

There was a knock on the door just as Poe finished his work with Ben’s hair, removing the cloth he’d placed around his shoulders, and placing the scissors and the comb on his desk before wiping off his hands and calling out, “Who is it?”

“It’s Finn,” a voice called out from the other side. “We’re five minutes from port, captain.”

_ Five minutes.  _ Where the hell had the last two hours gone?

“Alright, thanks, Finn, prep the Lightning canisters, we’re making money today!” Poe cried enthusiastically, then his first mate let out a whoop, and pounded his fist on the door once more before he walked away shouting the captain’s orders at the crew. 

Poe shook his head laughing as Ben got up out of his chair, then he walked into the closet—no doubt to inspect his changed appearance in the mirror. Rey slowly slid off the desk at the same time, and the trio approached the mirror together. The reflection she saw within it startled her as she and Ben walked ahead of the captain. 

They looked absolutely regal, like something out of a painting. Ben was somehow entirely in his element despite having been raised as a shop boy. It was as if he’d been raised in a castle, and he had grown up a prince with horses and servants and a crown. Beside him, Rey almost looked like a princess, or at least a high class courtesan. Either way, her aesthetic fit well with his, her dark blue dress complimenting his white coat perfectly. The two of them standing side by side created a perfect visual harmony that resonated deep within her gut, stirring feelings she wasn’t yet aware of. 

“Wow,” Ben breathed, speaking the first word from him she’d heard in ages. 

Rey nodded as a similar reaction swept through her. “Yeah, wow, we look… you… you look absolutely…” 

“Regal? Like a king?” Poe asked, walking around in front of them, and breaking the perfect vision they’d created in the mirror. “You’re welcome.” He looked Ben up and down, grinning broadly as he stared at him. “Huh, I did a good job on you. My crew won’t suspect a damn thing.”

“You think?” Ben asked, twisting from side to side with his hands on his hips. He even threw in a little spin that had Rey absolutely cackling beside him as she watched him. 

“It’s perfect,” she told him, and it was true, he looked completely different from the way he did before. Much less small town errand boy, and much more—she’d already spent enough time comparing Ben to royalty. She really ought to focus her thoughts on something else. But every time she put another idea into her head, it always looped back to how stunning he looked in those clothes. 

Ben blushed at her response, then Poe stepped between them again, and clapped hands on their shoulders. “Alright then, we don’t have much time, so I’m going to tell you the plan.”

“So how are we going to introduce me to your crew?”

“Well, when we dock, you’re going to stay down here,” Poe told him, gesturing to the floor with his pointer fingers. He then turned to Rey. “You, my captive, will join me and the men and walk into the market to meet our buyer. From there, we’ll walk back to the ship where he will be waiting for us. I’ll tell the crew your my brother, explain that you need a lift back to the wall village and I’m doing you a favor—“

“You are doing me a favor, though, so thank you.”

“Not the point, and don’t ever expect me to collect on it,” Poe interrupted, then he grinned as he looked at Rey again. “But anyway, then I’ll hand her back to you as a ‘gift,’ and from there you’ll both basically be free to do whatever you want until we dock near the wall. Now, I’ve got to warn you.” He walked over to a chair on the far side of the room, bracing his hands against its back as he looked at the two of them. “I can’t get you any closer than sixty miles from the wall. After that, you’ll be on your own.”

“Why can’t you get us closer than that?” Rey asked curiously. 

“That’s where the closest port is,” Poe said with a sigh. He then let go of the chair, and held out his hand to Rey. “It’s nearly time, we should probably get going.”

Again Rey looked nervously at Ben, but he simply gave her a nod, assuring her with his eyes that she’d be okay. Somehow, that did just the trick to calm her nerves, and without saying anything in protest, she placed her hand in Poe’s, and the two of them left Ben in the closet as they walked out above deck. “Just stay quiet, and only speak when spoken to. You’ll do great,” he promised her, and she wasn’t sure what it was about the captain but she immediately trusted him. There was a kind soul behind those eyes; someone genuine who just wanted the best for the world. She could trust him, he wouldn’t hurt her. Or Ben. 

They emerged onto the deck squinting into the blinding sunlight, which was a stark change from the horrific thunderstorm that had raged around them when they arrived on board the ship the night before. The weather was almost peaceful, even, the worst of it contained to the gentle breeze that accompanied the motion of the descending ship as it made its way down to the port. “Alright, gentlemen, is everything ready?” Poe shouted to his men, receiving a hearty cheer in return. “Take her to port!”

Another round of cheers filled the deck of the ship, then Poe led Rey over to the edge, letting her look out over it to see the canyon the port was positioned over. Just beyond it she could see a small series of buildings distinguishing the little market from the rest of the blank, barren landscape, but all the same it took her breath away. She’d been in the sky all her life,  but she’d never seen the ground like this. It looked so different from up there on the ship, so much more real and colorful than she’d ever seen it. It was one thing to walk upon the earth and feel it beneath her feet, but another entirely to watch it from a close distance like she was now. 

“So What is your story, then?” Poe asked, interrupting her thoughts. 

“Sorry?”

A laugh left the captain as they began to pull into the port. “If you and the fine young man down there aren’t married, what are you to each other? How did you end up on that cloud?”

_ We were escaping a crazy witch woman and he saved my life.  _

“We made a mistake with a Babylon candle,” she admitted. It was close enough to the truth after all. They had indeed done poorly with the candle. “Thought of two different things at once.”

“Definitely not married, then.”

“No, definitely not, I’ve only known him for… about two days,” she said, then she flinched at having revealed too much. If Poe found out what she was, there was every chance his kind demeanor would shift once he learned what she could bring to him. Her heart raced inside of her chest as her fear suddenly became all too real. She’d seen people turn on her sisters when they’d fallen before, watched them die gruesome deaths at the hands of cruel men and witches seeking eternal life. Hell, just hours before they had escaped a warlock who had tried to do that exact thing, and she’d never forget the murder in his eyes as he marched toward them. If it hadn’t been for Ben’s quick thinking… 

Thinking of home hadn’t been a perfect plan, but it had certainly been better than the violent death she would’ve suffered otherwise. Again she found herself thankful for Ben’s existence, but she’d be damned if she ever told  _ him _ that. 

Poe, it would seem, was far more intuitive than she could’ve predicted. “Only two days, huh?” he asked. 

“What? Is there something so odd about that?” she asked, her voice rising perhaps a touch too high in pitch as the ship came to a stop, and the crew began to disembark. 

A small laugh left Poe’s lips, then he shook his head as he led her to the ramp the men were lowering off of the ship, and the two of them descended into the little market that housed his buyer. He didn’t say a word about his curious question for the entire walk. In fact, Poe didn’t speak again until they reached the shop they were looking for, then he rapped his knuckles on a shelf, and waited a few seconds before an old woman’s voice answered, “Who is it?”

“Your favorite person, Maz!” Poe shouted, then there was the sound of a lot of metallic objects falling to the ground, and a series of tiny, but quick footsteps, and the shortest woman Rey had ever seen emerged from behind a nearby shelf. 

“Poe Dameron,” she growled, though there was a smile on her dark-skinned, wrinkled face that said she wasn’t at all angry to see him. “It’s been six months, and not a word from you.”

The captain laughed as he bent down to meet the woman in a warm looking embrace. “Ah, sorry, Maz, life’s been busy, but I think you’ll be happy to see me. I’ve got ten thousand grade A bolts, and they’re all yours for the right price.”

“ _ Ah! _ He returns after six months and demands money from me,” Maz groaned, then she slammed her palm into her forehead as she pulled away from him. “I don’t know what I’m going to do with you, boy, but I wish your lady-friend here luck.”

Poe gave her a nervous smile, then he turned to Rey, and whispered quietly in her ear. “I’m gonna need you to hang back for a second while I discuss business, okay?”

She gave him a nod, then Rey stepped back a few feet, but not quite far away enough to where she couldn’t hear the conversation as Poe and Maz exchanged prices for a minute. It wasn’t particularly interesting listening for the first thirty seconds, but then she heard the latter of the two say something that sent her heart plummeting into her stomach. “Have you heard the rumors about a fallen star, captain?”

Breath catching in her throat, she locked eyes with Poe, and what she saw in his gaze unsettled her as she realized that he _ knew.  _ At the very least, he suspected, and that alone was enough to make her nearly pass out from sheer fright—well, and the restrictiveness of her corset as it cut off her breathing— or at least want to bolt. 

“No, I haven’t,” Poe said, and the lie in his voice sent shocks of relief up and down Rey’s spine as she leaned against a nearby shelf full of magical trinkets for support. “Not a word.”

“Ah, I wouldn’t know what to do with one anyway,” Maz said, dismissing her own question as she tossed the lightning canister casually between her two hands. “We can only hope it makes its way back to the sky, can’t we? Cutting out a heart… Nasty things to do to a person.”

“I couldn’t agree more, Maz,” Poe said, then he gave the woman another pat on the shoulder. “I should be getting back to the skies, though, there’s more lightning to catch.”

The old woman smiled warmly up at him. “Ah, just return before six months, my boy, and we’ll be right as rain.”

“I think I can manage that,” he said, then he walked back over to Rey, and offered her his arm. “Care to accompany a captain to his ship?”

“Why, it would be my honor,” Rey replied sarcastically, then the two of them laughed as they walked back out of the market, and toward the Millenium Falcon. The rest of the crew quickly fell in line behind them, and a light conversation passed between them as they all walked back to the ship. By the time they got there, Rey’s fears had fully been eased as she held onto Poe’s arm. She felt more grateful to the captain than ever for what he’d done for her, and knowing for certain she could trust him filled her with a renewed sense of peace. 

As they walked up the ramp, Rey felt her heart hammering in her chest again as she remembered the plan with Ben. Her thoughts returned to him and that damn white coat of his, his stupidly wavy hair that made him look—  _ stop. _

When Ben finally came into view, he looked cockier than she’d ever seen him. He was lounging casually on top of some barrels, his head supported by the hands he’d folded behind it as he propped his feet upon a table he must’ve found on deck. A grin that was absolutely shit eating was plastered on his face as he looked up at the captain and Rey, and tossed her a wink. “Captain Dameron,” he said coolly, then the crew each brandished their swords, and prepared to run him through. 

Rey’s heart skipped another beat in her chest until Poe stepped forward, and ordered his men to stand down. “This is my brother,” he explained as Ben got up off of the barrels, and walked over to the captain to greet him in a firm handshake. “The fearsome buccaneer Ben Solo! He’ll be joining us on our journey, no questions asked. Oh, and I…” He stepped back, and walked over to Rey, grabbing her by the arm before he all but threw her into Ben. The two collided with a slight grunt that wasn’t audible to anyone but them, and Rey felt her cheeks flushing anew as she realized his arms were now draped loosely around her. “I brought you a gift.”

Rey and Ben stood frozen under the expectant gazes of the pirates, then he quickly tightened his grip on her, and raised one of his fists to give a mocking growl to the crew, who burst into cheers as his other hand splayed out over her back. Had he always been so warm or was this a new development? She was trying her damndest not to think about it as she laughed in his arms, listening to the shouts of the crew as they prepared the ship to sail again.

A breeze blew past them as they slowly pulled apart, and Rey laughed lightly as she looked up at Ben. “Looks like I’m yours again,” she said with a teasing smile, and she may have been imagining it, but she would swear she heard his breath catch in his throat. 

“Yeah,” he said a little too quickly. “This’ll be a long ride home, won’t it?”

“I think you may be right,” she replied, then the two of them shared a laugh as the ship lifted away from the port, and they began sailing up toward the sky to begin the long and yet impossibly short journey home. 


	7. Stories

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I should warn you. I had to write this all on my phone, and well... Autocorrect is rude as fuck, so whenever I tried to mention a bed "creaking" it changed it to... Something else. I think I got all of the bed not creaking out, but in case it's in there still, I am so sorry and please point it out to me in the comments lmao.

The words,  _ “looks like I’m yours again _ ,” echoed through Ben’s mind for the next several minutes, and stayed in the background of his thoughts for the rest of the day. He didn’t have another thought in his head at all even as the crew engaged him and Rey in conversation, and it wasn’t until the captain approached the two of them, and informed them he’d set up a bedroom for them below deck that Ben even moved much. 

“Ben?” Rey asked softly, her voice guiding him back to reality as she rested a hand on his arm. “Are you alright?”

He froze, looking between her and the captain now as they stared at him expectantly. “Oh, I’m… I’m sorry I was…”  _ Say something, you idiot.  _ “Enjoying the view. It’s… it’s beautiful up here.”

The captain gave him an odd stare, but said nothing about his odd behavior as he cleared his throat. “Well, I have news…”

Rey giggled, then, and his attention was once fully captured by her laughter and the way she was smiling as she looked at Poe. For some reason, an emotion he could almost call envy bubbled up within him, and he had to work to suppress it, reckoning he probably shouldn’t be feeling that sort of thing for her. He didn’t feel anything for her, didn’t he?

A moment ago, he had told Rey he had been distracted because he was entranced by the view, but he was fairly certain a different sight than that of the kingdom below was slowly growing on him. In her new dress, the star looked absolutely stunning. Of course, she’d always been beautiful, but the costume Poe had picked out for her looked as though it had been made for her and only her to wear. It brought out her beauty in ways that had Ben forgetting why he was there in Alderaan instead of back home in Wall. Who was Phasma anyway?

“Ben?” The captain’s voice asked, piercing through his thoughts. “You still with us?”

He slowly blinked himself from his Rey induced stupor. “Um, yes, yes I am, why?”

“I’ve set up quarters for you below deck, now since we’ve got a ruse to keep up, I only gave you…” the captain paused, offering them an apologetic smile before he continued, “One bed.”

Ben froze, then he slowly looked over at Rey to find the barest hint of a smile on her face as she looked down from embarrassment. She looked up a second later though, and they laughed awkwardly together upon making eye contact, then Ben shrugged. “Well, I suppose it’s not the worst thing that can happen to us. I’m just glad I’m still alive.”

Rey quickly nodded. “Yeah, so am I. Um, show us the way, I guess.”

A smirk grew on Poe’s face that accompanied a glimmer of mischief in his eyes, then he turned on his heels, and gestured for them to follow him below deck. Poe led them to the lower deck entrance, then down the stairs and a long hallway before he stopped at a door on the right, and gave Ben a wink. “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”

“Is there anything you wouldn’t do?” Rey asked, then Poe winked at her next, and clapped his hands together. 

“Well, I’ll let you two get settled. It’ll be a long journey to the wall,” Poe told them, backing away slowly. “Just to warn you, the crew are all perverts except for Finn maybe… most of the time. If you hear anything weird, it’s usually them.”

“What does that mean?” Ben asked innocently, confused as to the captain’s meaning. 

Rey’s cheeks flushed again, and Poe simply chuckled before walking away from them toward the steps that would lead him above deck. “You’ll find out sooner or later,” he promised, then he disappeared on the stairwell, leaving the two of them alone again. 

They stood there in the hall like that for a few seconds, just staring at one another awkwardly until Rey cleared her throat. “We should probably…”

“Yeah, yeah you’re right, I… sorry,” he said, then he reached forward, gripped the doorknob in his hand, and twisted it before he pushed the door open, and the two of them walked into a rather small bedroom. “Well, this is…”

“Going to be interesting,” Rey finished as they took in the small bed positioned against the wall, which would struggle to fit him alone on a good day. He had no idea how it was supposed to fit them both unless… they got incredibly close. 

Ben swallowed nervously as he felt his anxiety pool within him at the thought of sleeping that close with her. He’d never shared a bed with anyone, let alone a woman he thought there was a chance he might—  _ well that was certainly an interesting thought.  _ “You think we’ll both fit?”

She laughed nervously, then put her hands on her hips. “I mean, we can certainly  _ try _ ,” she replied, then she walked over to the bed, and flopped down on it. “It’s not like we have anything better to do.”

“Well, I’m sure we’ll have something eventually. The captain wouldn’t just leave us down here.”

Rey nodded, and closed her eyes as she folded her arms behind her head. “Yes, eventually we’ll have something to do, but for now…” She let out a ridiculously loud yawn. “It’s the middle of the day, and I want to take a nap.”

Ben gave her a soft smile as he walked over to the foot of the bed, and sat down upon it, wincing at the way it creaked beneath his weight. “That’s right,” he said, remembering the day before when she’d nearly collapsed from how far they journeyed from her crater in their search for the wall. “I’d almost forgotten about that with… all that’s happened.”

She gave him a small chuckle, then her eyelids snapped open, and she was looking at him again. “It’s alright, we’ve… we’ve been through quite a lot together, haven’t we?”

“Yeah, we have,” Ben said, then he shifted on the bed until he was leaning back against the wall. “I feel like it’s been forever, but in reality it’s only been… two days.”

“Only two?” she asked, raising a disbelieving eyebrow at him as he gave her the affirmative nod. “Wow… you’re right, it feels like so much longer. I feel like I’ve already known you for months.”

Ben’s brain went into a tailspin at that, and he was partially aware that his jaw had gone slack but he tried very, very hard to ignore it. He tried even harder to ignore the way her saying that she felt like she’d known him for months was making him feel, but there was only so much he could do to push past the feeling of his heart breaking his rib cage it was beating so fast and the slight shortness of breath in his lungs. “I… I feel like I’ve known you for a while, too,” he said quietly after a few seconds had passed. “I don’t know what it is, but despite our less than pleasant beginnings…”

“Ah, you mean when you crashed into me and knocked me to the ground even though I was injured?”

“In my defense, I didn’t mean to do it. I was just trying to find my…” he froze, then he slumped over a little as he remembered his original purpose for trying to light the candle. “I was trying to find my mother.”

“I’m sorry I got in the way,” she said quietly, and Ben shook his head, wondering how she could possibly blame herself for any of it. His mistakes were his own, never hers. 

“Don’t be, it’s not your fault; it’s mine. I let my head get so caught up with Phasma and besting that ginger bastard that I lost sight of my true purpose lighting that candle,” he said, then he swallowed, but before he could continue, he was interrupted by the sound of faint footsteps approaching. “Do you hear that?”

“Hear what?” she asked, then she quickly shut herself up, and both of them leaned forward as the footsteps became stomps, and a chorus of low laughter slowly rose to their ears. “Oh…”

He recognized the voices of some of the crew as they approached the door, and then Poe’s comment about the crew earlier started to make a little bit of sense as the footsteps stopped outside their door, but the voices didn’t. A quiet snicker escaped Rey as they listened to the sound of the crew clamoring to see if they could hear anything through the door, and Ben blinked as his jaw went completely slack. “Are they…?”

“They are,” she said with a nod. “I mean, it makes sense, we were led to a bedroom under the ruse of us being together exclusively for… well, that… and um, we…”

“They think we’re making love?”

Rey’s cheeks flushed visibly at this as she sat up on the bed, causing it to creak again as she moved, then before she could say anything else to him she got a look in her eyes that he couldn’t quite decipher. Ben’s own narrowed slightly until she took his hands in hers, and grinned at him. “Ben, do you trust me?”

“I have a feeling I’m about to wish I didn’t.”

“But you do?”

He took in a deep breath. “Yes, I do. What are you planning?”

“In my time above the earth, I spent a lot of time watching humanity… learning what they liked or didn’t like to do… and it taught me a few things,” she explained, then she cleared her throat. “One of those things may have been… well love making. And I’m not saying we actually need to—but, um… we could fake it.”

“Fake it?”

“Yes, just move around—shake the bed! Maybe throw in the odd moan or two. Make those men outside think we’re… that you’re…” She sighed. “It would just keep up the illusion that you’re Poe’s swashbuckling pirate brother, is all.”

A smirk developed on Ben’s face, then he shifted his hips, making the bed creak again. The voices outside grew deathly silent in response, and both of them had to fight back laughter as he shifted again, causing the bed to groan beneath him. 

Barely disguising a snicker under her breath, Rey quickly joined in on the action, bouncing slightly up and down and making the bed creak rhythmically as she moved. Ben caught onto the motion seconds later, and soon both of them were smiling like idiots as the bed made questionable noises beneath them. 

“We need to make noises,” Rey said after a few moments, and Ben nearly froze in his tracks as he looked at her in panic. 

“Like what?” he nearly squeaked. 

She seemed to think for a moment, then she threw her head back, and cupped a hand around her mouth as she feigned a loud, almost orgasmic sounding moan that had Ben nearly losing his mind. Outside, they could hear the pirates cheering in response, goading on the couple as their passionate moment grew seemingly more and more intense. 

When Ben’s eyes next locked into Rey’s, she had quirked an eyebrow at him as if to say,  _ your move.  _ Little did she know that Ben had a petty streak dating back to when he was five and his poor father had made the mistake of not letting him have breakfast until he made his bed. He’d retaliated by not speaking to his father for the next week after, which had been impressive even though he wasn’t a particularly talkative child in the first place. Still, Han had learned quite the lesson from that incident, and he was fairly certain Rey was about to learn the same one in a vastly different manner. 

Ben’s own moan was far more sensual than hers was, and despite the fact that his virtue was still very much still a part of him, he certainly knew how it felt to bring himself to completion. He gathered the memory of that feeling, placing it upon his vocal chords as his head came back against the wall, and he let it fall from his lips at a volume loud enough to wake the distant wall villagers from their sleep. 

Looking at Rey in the aftermath, she’d certainly not learned her lesson in messing with Ben Solo. Instead of withdrawing from the contest, she pushed ahead with a renewed burst of strength, crying out his name louder than ever in a way that made his pants suddenly feel tighter. This was one challenge Ben was destined to lose, and he knew it from the way arousal shot through his system at the sound of his name spoken like  _ that.  _

For some reason, he longed to hear it said in such a way for real; to hear her say it because he had made her come as he was buried deep inside of her.  _ Where in the hell had that thought come from?  _ If they didn’t stop this game soon, Ben was fairly certain he was about to find himself genuinely falling for her. 

Rey let out a little giggle as he stared at her, and for the first time he noticed that in her delight, she had a sort of glow about her. No, she wasn’t glowing, she was a star, and stars shone brilliantly in the night sky like she was now doing in the light of day. That sight made his heart race even faster, and again he found himself forgetting Phasma and Hux and everyone back home who always looked down on him. The world was just him and her and the smiles on their faces as they bounced up and down on a bed and caused perverted pirates to cheer them on. 

“How long do people usually do this?” Ben whispered, not wanting the pirates to catch on to the fact that they were just faking it. The longer they faked it, though, the more he wanted it to be real. 

Rey shrugged. “Sometimes it takes minutes,” she said, then she gave him a wicked grin, and a wink. “Others it takes hours.”

“You don’t think they’ll wait outside  _ that  _ long do you?” He asked incredulously, then the star shook her head. 

“No, just be a little louder for a second, then we can stop,” she told him, then she let out another particularly loud moan, and he followed suit before they both ceased their movements. 

They sat frozen for a few moments as the pirates outside the door hooted and hollered their approval, raining praises upon Ben as they pounded loudly on the door. His eyes nearly rolled back in his head as he leaned against the wall again, making the bed creak anew as he barely held back his laughter. When he glanced at Rey, he was relieved to find she too was snickering under her breath as they came down from their laughter. Both of them seemed equally amused by the pirates reaction, and they waited patiently in silence for another few seconds as their audience left them alone. 

Once they were gone, Rey sank into the mattress again, and another yawn left her lips. “Well, now that it’s over, I need to get some sleep,” she said, then she shifted over on the bed. “You’re welcome to join me, since we’ll have to get used to sleeping together for the next… few days.” She shuddered after she said this, and Ben became increasingly aware that she was as nervous about sharing the bed with him as he was with her. 

He shifted on the bed until he was sitting beside her, then he reached for her hand. “You’re scared, aren’t you?” She gave him a nod, then he took in a deep breath, and swallowed. “Don’t be afraid, I feel it, too. The anxiety? I’ve never done this sort of thing before with anyone.”

“I’ve never done most things with anyone,” she replied, then she took his hand, and he casually laid down beside her, staring up at the ceiling as he listened to her thoughts. “All my knowledge comes from the centuries of watching the earth. I can tell you all about things I’ve seen, but I wouldn’t know what it feels like to do any of them.”

“What kind of things have you seen?”

“Battles, sword fights, mundane things, how to cook the world’s most complicated dish and how to sew the most beautiful dresses, and I’ve seen people making love—I always looked away once it got too intimate—“

“You absolute voyeur,” Ben said with a grin, then she reached over with her free hand and smacked him on the chest. 

“I can’t help what I’ve seen sometimes. I always try to look away, but sometimes you see things you weren’t meant to see. I’ve seen kingdoms fall and men die and all the while I’m still standing there watching them pass in and out of the light.”

“Sounds lonely,” Ben mused, then she took in a sharp breath, and when he looked over, her eyes were downcast. 

“It wasn’t. I always had my brothers and sisters up in the sky with me. They kept me company. I was never alone, but when I fell… in those minutes before you found me I was in complete silence for the first time and it was…” Her hand found its grip on the necklace that had knocked her from the sky and she sighed. “It was the most terrifying moment of my existence. So when you appeared even when I was angry with you I was almost… relieved that you were there because it meant I wasn’t so alone anymore. It was the first sign I had that maybe I would be alright in the end.”

Ben laced his fingers through hers, his heart breaking a little at her confession. His chest shook a little as he breathed, and he tried to even it as he ran his thumb over hers. “Rey, I’m so sorry that happened to you,” he said softly, then she closed her eyes again, the thumb of her free hand running absentmindedly over the hard, colorless ruby at the center of her necklace. 

For a moment he sat there staring at it, finding himself almost transfixed by the ruby as he took in the tiny details of the necklace. It almost felt like it called to him the longer he looked at it, and he had a thought to reach out and touch it, but then Rey spoke again, her voice shaking as she told him what she had to say next. “Ben, I’m still scared. You being here, hell, even Poe and the stupid bloody pirates makes it better, but what if I never return to the sky again? What if I never make it home?”

He felt a wave of sympathy washing over him for the Star beside him, and he noticed for the first time that the glow she’d had minutes earlier had dimmed significantly. That beautiful, brilliant white light that was Rey was starting to fade, and he knew he couldn’t let that happen. He wouldn’t let it. “Rey, I said I’d find you a Babylon candle and I meant it. I’ll get you home no matter what. You’ll go back to the sky, you’ll see the others again. Your journey doesn’t end with Alderaan.”

“It doesn’t?” she asked, turning her head so she was facing him as her eyes opened. They were a stunning shade of hazel, he was starting to notice, and he wondered at what point he had become hypnotized by them. 

“No,” he replied, his own head turning to face her as well. “You said you used to watch people having adventures. Well, Rey, you’re having one now. This is just an adventure, and soon enough you’ll be back home in the sky with good memories and one hell of a story to tell.”

The glow she’d had earlier returned at that moment, and Rey shone before him, a beacon of light in the dim room. “I was right about you. You are good.”

“Thanks, I think,” he said, then he tightened his grip on her hand ever so slightly. “And if you ever had any doubt, Rey, you’re not alone. You won’t ever be alone again.”

She gave him another warm, genuine smile that seemed to make her shine even more brightly somehow before she let out another yawn, and he was reminded of why they’d laid down in the first place. “It’s so late for me,” she told him, then she let out a noise that sounded almost like a laugh. “I’m so sorry, but I absolutely need to sleep now.”

“Don’t worry about it, I understand,” he promised her, then he began to unlace his fingers from hers, but she only tightened her grip. 

Ben’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion, and she simply widened her smile. “I didn’t say you could let go,” she told him as her eyes drifted shut. “So don’t.”

He let his own eyes drift shut as he held onto her hand more tightly now. “I won’t let go, I promise.” 

She let out a hum of contentment, then he heard her breathing starting to even out a moment later. His eyelids slowly came open, taking in her sleeping face appreciatively as she took in air through her slightly parted lips, which he was slowly starting to notice were a sweet, soft shade of pink that would’ve sent his blood rushing straight downward if he weren’t just as exhausted as she was. Still, Ben has just enough energy to reach up with his free hand, and cup her chin with his fingers before sweeping his thumb over the soft skin of her lower lip. 

He could barely keep his eyes open and after a few more seconds his hand slowly fell to the mattress between them as he too succumbed to unconsciousness. Rey’s hand was still warm in his as he slept, and he could see the light shining off of her through his closed eyelids. He found he didn’t mind it at all, in fact, that light kept him comforted as he slept and dreamt throughout the next several hours. 

Despite the fact that it wasn’t night, it was the best sleep he’d gotten in ages, and it was interrupted too soon by a rapid fire series of knocks on their door several hours later. Ben and Rey both shot up as they woke from their slumber, and his grip on her hand became iron tight as he recovered from the shock of the stunningly loud noise. 

“Ben, Rey, open up, it's me!” Poe shouted from the other side of the door, and Ben felt relief spike through his system as he finally let go of her hand, and stumbled out of the bed to open the door. The captain was beaming at him on the other side, the look on his face seeming capable of curing the worst of plagues as he stared up at him. “Good evening.”

“It’s evening already?” Ben asked in disbelief, but then he looked out the window to see that darkness had indeed fallen outside. They must’ve been asleep for longer than he’d thought. 

Poe laughed. “Yes, it is. I imagine the two of you were quite exhausted after your little… moment earlier,” he said, then he crossed his arms over his chest. “But that’s beside the point. I came down here to invite you to dine with me in my quarters. I’d like to discuss the itinerary for the next few days.”

“Itinerary?” 

“Yes! We can’t have you being a swashbuckling pirate if you don’t know how to do certain things, can we?”

At this, Rey stood up, and he heard the heels of her boots clicking on the floor behind him as she too approached the door. “What does that mean?”

“You need to know how to handle a sword for one thing, I’d like to start teaching you first thing tomorrow,” Poe told him, then he stepped back, inviting Ben and Rey out into the hallway with him. “So, care to join me so we can talk? There’s still so much I’ve yet to learn about England.”

Ben glanced back at Rey for a few seconds, then she gave him a nod, and he returned the captain’s grin. “We’re in.”

Five minutes later they were all gathered around the finest mahogany table Ben had ever seen, chopping away at meats and drinking the richest wine he’d ever tasted. What he’d brought Phasma a few days ago paled in comparison to this, he thought as he sat at the table with Poe, Rey, and even the elusive first mate Finn had decided to join them. As it turned out, he was the only other person aside from himself and the star sitting to his left who knew the captain’s secret. They could speak freely at this table, which filled Ben with unspeakable amounts of relief. 

“So Ben, your nemesis frequently beats you in fencing?” Poe asked, then he took a sip of his wine as his eyes remained transfixed upon Ben’s own. 

“Yes, that’s correct. Every time we’ve crossed paths, I’ve always landed on my ass, and embarrassed myself,” he replied, then he shook his head disappointedly. “He particularly likes to do it when  _ she’s _ watching.”

At this, Finn spoke up, and he was perhaps a bit too intuitive or maybe not at all. “Who’s she? The woman you love?”

Ben froze, the  _ yes  _ that was supposed to be his answer falling short on his lips, and he felt his eyes flicker briefly over to Rey, whose own face now wore an expression of sorrow. He tried not to dwell on that as he worked to force the answer from his mouth. Phasma was the woman he loved, wasn’t she? He’d done all of this for her after all. The collision with the star had been caused by his own distracted thinking when he’d lit the Babylon candle, and it had all been caused by Phasma asking him to prove himself worthy, hadn’t it?

He could hear Rey’s voice in his ears reminding him that love was unconditional, and she had been right that Phasma in all likelihood did not love him, but he wasn’t ready to face that truth yet. After a few seconds of deliberation, Ben answered the first mate. “Yes, she is. This all started as a way for me to obtain her hand in marriage.”

“Did it now?” Poe asked, quirking a disbelieving eyebrow at him. “I didn’t think…”

“What?”

“I hadn’t thought you were in love with anyone, is all,” Poe replied, then his eyes flickered over to Finn’s, and the two held a silent conversation as Ben watched. “Sorry for my presumption.”

Ben dismissed his apology with a wave of his hand. “It’s fine. In all that’s happened… sometimes I forget about it myself,” he admitted, then he took another sip of his wine. 

“I don’t know much, Ben, but it seems to me that if you love someone, you never forget them,” Finn said, his voice polite but disguising something else entirely.  “They’re always on your mind, even if it’s just in the background.”

Ben simply took another sip of his wine, unable to help the turn of his head toward Rey, whose sad eyes made him feel an inexplicable pang of guilt in his stomach as he watched her pick mindlessly at her food. “I wouldn’t know, I've never been in love before.”

“Before Phasma, you mean?” Poe asked, then he quickly nodded. 

“Yeah, exactly. Before… before Phasma.” But suddenly he wasn’t so sure. 

The conversation drifted after that, and Ben spent the majority of it in silence only speaking when spoken to as he was forced to confront the reality of the situation. Did he really feel anything for Phasma if he had just forgotten about her like that? Could he honestly say he loved her when his feelings were starting to resemble an infatuation more than genuine love? 

He watched Rey as the dinner progressed, taking note of the way she lit up whenever Poe told a joke, and blushed whenever he flirted with Finn. That shine he noticed in her earlier was more prominent again, and the longer they strayed away from the subject of Phasma and Ben’s supposed love for her, the more brightly she shone.  _ How odd. _

Once the dinner was over, the captain told them both to meet him in his quarters for breakfast once they woke, and if they didn’t meet him in time, he’d barge in there and wake them up himself. When Ben asked why he’d do that, he simply claimed it was his ship and he could do whatever he wanted. He figured that was fair enough. 

As he and Rey made their way back to their own quarters, they walked side by side in companionable silence, their footsteps the only sound filling the air as their boots clacked against the wood. Ben kept stealing glances at her out of the corner of his eye, wondering if she was thinking about him as much as he was thinking about her. After several awkward seconds passed, he cleared his throat. “Are you tired?”

“Not really, I felt pretty well-rested after our nap earlier, if I’m being honest,” she replied, then she cleared her throat. “And what about you? Are you tired?”

Ben shrugged. “A little, but I could probably stay awake for another hour or two.”

“Maybe we ought to just lay around for a while, swap stories and the like.”

“Swap stories?”

“Yeah, I can tell you about things I’ve seen throughout history, and you can tell me… more about you, I guess. I’m curious.”

Ben felt a small smile tug at the corners of his mouth as he reached for the door handle of their room. “What do you want to know, then?” he asked. 


	8. Tangled Mornings

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lmao in the comments for the last chapter, I should tell y'all, the fake sex scene was actually inspired by a scene in the book Outlander... which I still haven't finished reading. I am terrible at reading actual books lmao. Anyway, sorry this is so long. It got away from me.

The next morning, Ben woke up feeling better than he’d felt in ages. The bright glow breaking through his closed eyelids should’ve made him want to hide his face, but it didn’t. Instead he wanted to bask in it, to revel in the light that he was holding in his arms. 

A vague part of him remembered the night before, how he and Rey had stayed up late talking, learning about each other’s pasts, and growing closer as the hours went on. They’d talked until they’d grown too tired to keep their eyes open, then they fell asleep side by side like they had earlier in a pleasant ending to an otherwise chaotic evening. 

He wondered if this day would spur that same sort of chaos. Somehow, he had a feeling it would, since Poe had promised him that he’d start teaching him things starting that morning. In fact, he could probably expect the captain to knock on their door at any moment now, given that was what he’d told them the night before. For some reason, Ben found a part of himself dreading that encounter, though he had a feeling another part knew why. 

All he wanted to do was stay wrapped up in the warmth he was holding onto like a lifeline, which he was quickly realizing the source of as the seconds passed, and he became more awake and alert. He let one of his eyelids pop open for a second, taking in the sight of Rey’s head tucked in just beneath his chin as she slept peacefully beside him, and immediately his entire body relaxed further into the mattress as he realized it was her he was holding. 

Ben had one, half-dead arm pinned beneath Rey, the hand on said arm completely numb as it caressed the back of her skull while the other was wrapped around her waist, pulling her close against him. One of his legs was wedged between hers, at least, he thought it was. He couldn’t quite tell between all the layers of the skirts she wore. Either way, it was the most contentment he’d felt in his eighteen years, and he never wanted the feeling of that morning to go away. 

Sunlight streamed through the windows as he laid there in the tiny bed with Rey in his arms, her head pressed up against his chest and his chin resting over it as he held onto her tightly. A small smile rose to his face, and he pressed the softest, most gentle kiss the world had ever seen to the crown of her head. She didn’t even stir in the slightest, too lost in her own dreams to notice Ben’s affectionate gesture. 

A small voice in the back of his head was yelling that he ought to be saving such a thing for another who waited for him back home. He ignored that voice with every other piece of his being. 

With great effort, he gently carded his numb fingers through her hair, still half asleep enough that he could excuse himself for his need to keep holding her so close. In all honesty, he should’ve backed away the moment he realized he was awake, but he found himself unwilling to do so given that lying there with Rey was making him feel wonderful in ways he hadn’t known were possible before. 

Unfortunately for him, all good things always come to an end. After a few more blissful minutes, the pounding of Poe’s fist upon their door filled his ears, vibrated in the air around them, and woke Rey from her slumber with a start.  _ Damn it.  _

“Rise and shine, sleepyheads! Big day ahead!” Poe cried, then he sounded like he was holding back a laugh as he added, “Especially for you, Ben!”

“Fantastic,” Ben muttered, hearing Rey laugh beside him as she untangled herself from his arms. His arm prickled upon realizing her absence from his body, feeling slowly trickling back into his nerves as she sat up and stretched, letting loose a yawn as she looked back at him. The smile that rose to her face almost immediately made him want to pull her back onto the bed, and—

_ Wow.  _ He really needed to stop thinking like that. Especially if he had any hope of returning to Phasma and winning her hand in marriage, which he still wanted… didn’t he? 

“I’ll see you in my chambers in five minutes for breakfast!” Poe warned them, interrupting Ben’s thoughts before his footsteps retreated down the hallway. 

Once he was gone, Ben turned his eyes on Rey, and watched as a smile blossomed on her face when they met hers. “Good morning,” he said. 

“Good morning.” She stretched again, this time spreading her arms wide. “Quite the wake up call we seem to keep getting.”

Ben laughed softly. “Quite. I’m intrigued to see what the next few mornings bring.”

“Me too. But maybe once I’d like to sleep in, you know? I was rather comfortable.”

His breath caught in his throat, and he nearly choked in front of her at the thought that she might have enjoyed their waking up together just as much as he had. He wasn’t quite sure what to make of that prospect, all he knew was that he didn’t hate it. “You were?”

“Yeah, I was. I don’t know, I just felt… warm.” He noticed then that she was still shining, the pretty silver light reflecting off of her tanned skin like she was something shiny in the water, a sight which only grew more intense as she spoke. “I don’t know, it sounds silly.”

Ben reached over, and took her hand. “It doesn’t. I felt warm, too,” he said, then he gave her a kind smile, and watched her shine become further aglow as she laced her fingers through his, then he sighed. “But for now we have breakfast ahead of us, amongst other things, so we should probably get going before Poe has the chance to interrupt us again.”

She snorted at that. “You’re probably right,” she muttered, then she slid her legs off of the bed. “Let’s get going then, shall we?”

Ben had never wanted to go anywhere less, but he slowly nodded, and followed Rey off of the bed, stretching as he went like she had. “But, Rey?”

“Yeah?”

“I… I didn’t mind waking up like that, if you’re okay with it…” He scratched the back of his head, avoiding meeting her gaze with every fiber of his being as he found the words to speak again. “I wouldn’t mind doing it again while we’re… on the ship.”

A soft giggle entered his ears, and he looked up to find her blushing. “I wouldn’t mind either, but are you sure Phasma would be alright with it?”

Oh, and just like that he’d forgotten about the woman he supposedly loved again. It should have amazed him how after only three days apart from Phasma he was already forgetting about her, but he didn’t even think on it once as he gave Rey a shrug. “She and I aren’t even officially courting one another yet, and we’re certainly not engaged,” he said, finding his own logic flimsy and a cheap excuse at best. “I don’t think she’ll mind… she’s been doing the same thing with Hux.”

Rey’s face fell slightly, and an awkward silence settled over the two for a second too long before she pointed to the door again. “We should probably…”

“Yeah, of course, breakfast,” Ben replied, then he swallowed anxiously. “Can’t keep the captain waiting.”

Breakfast went smoothly, if a bit too quietly for Ben’s taste. With what he’d already gotten to know of their captain, he was a loud and boisterous fellow who never ceased to speak. Yet at the table that morning, even with his first mate and lover present, he only spoke occasionally as his eyes darted suspicious glances between Ben and Rey. 

Somehow he still managed to eat his food in peace, and even Rey had emptied her plate completely as they sat in companionable silence together. 

His first fencing lesson wound up going much the same way. Despite years of failing miserably at fencing under the watchful eyes of his previous teachers, Poe’s tactics worked like a charm on him, and soon enough they were engaging in a dance of sorts across the deck. The captain still beat him every time, but Ben was no longer down on the first swing, which he considered a massive improvement. 

Eventually, they started to grow a little hot and sweaty as the sun bore down on their backs, and both Ben and the captain shed their outer coats. He even rolled up his sleeves past his elbow, which seemed to have caught the observational eye of Rey who watched them from the deck above where the steering wheel for the entire ship could be found. Her hazel eyes darkened as Ben flexed the muscle of his forearm when he regained his grip on his fencing sword, and he tossed her a stupid wink before he and the captain resumed their training into the next hour. 

They only stopped when one of the crew spotted a thunderstorm looming in the distance, and a wicked grin appeared on the captain’s face as he looked at Ben and Rey. “You guys want to see our work in action?” he asked, and his newest passengers eagerly nodded their agreement before he led them below deck again. 

Upon their arrival in the captain’s quarters, he presented them with two raincoats that resembled what they’d caught the crew wearing on the night of their arrival. Ben put his on first, then he and Rey both helped one another with the fastenings since Poe had informed them it was a two person job before he went above deck to make some last minute preparations for the storm. 

As the minutes went by, however, Ben was suspecting that was just a farce to keep himself and Rey alone together—but he couldn’t quite fathom why the captain would want them in such a way— since the fastenings were remarkably easy to do, and they certainly didn’t need each other to do them. Still, it was nice to have Rey’s company, he supposed. He could only wonder how much longer he’d have it. Within a few days they’d be back at the wall, and he would present her to Phasma, then he’d send her home. 

He was just finishing up the ties on her coat, when she spoke up for the first time since they’d been left alone. “Are you nervous?”

Ben’s eyebrows furrowed slightly, then he cocked his head to the side. “Nervous? Why would I be nervous?” 

“Being outside in the middle of a storm like that,” she explained, then he finished her ties, and she moved forward to help him with his. For a moment, he feared his heart would suddenly stop beating within his chest, but by the mercy of god, it didn’t as he realized how close they suddenly were. “I’ve seen many men cower in fear before the might of a bolt of lightning. It’s a scary thing.”

“Rey, when I set off to find you a few days ago, it was absolutely pouring then, and there was enough lightning to power the entire kingdom with electricity. I can handle a little spark,” he told her, the slight smirk on his face never quite making its full appearance as his eyes drifted down to her lips. Just as quickly, they glanced back up, and the two of them stepped apart as soon as she finished with the ties of his raincoat. 

Clearing her throat, she reached forward, and smoothed our wrinkles that weren’t there on both of her arms. “There, now we’re both ready,” she said, then she moved to walk past him. “I suppose we should go meet Poe above deck, shouldn’t we?”

Ben nodded a little too quickly. “Yeah, you’re right.”

“I always am,” she replied, then together the two of them walked above deck to find a storm was already stirring up chaos. The lightning nets they’d seen when they first boarded the ship were fully erect, and already bolts were sending pale violet and ice blue sparks of electricity running up and down their webbing. It was truly a fascinating sight to behold, one of the many wonders he could only have dreamed of back in Wall. 

It was like he’d told Rey. They were having an adventure, and they needed to enjoy it before they worried about what came next. They could face all of that much later, thank you very much. 

The chaos was absolutely exhilarating even as the rain poured down on their faces, rendering their hoods and coats nearly useless as they walked out to meet Poe on the deck. The thunder roared all around them as the ship bounced and careened through the sky; the turbulence unlike anything Ben had ever experienced in his life, but then again, he’d never even dreamed of flying. He hadn’t thought such a thing was possible, or that it would ever be possible. Yet as he stood beside Rey on that deck, the rain slamming into their faces like tiny little bullets of freezing water, he was certainly flying. He’d taken to the sky in a way he’d only ever done in dreams. 

One thing was for certain, he was going to have one hell of a story to tell his father once he returned home. 

They found the captain a moment later barking orders to the crew, who immediately worked to spread the nets further out from the ship. Ben watched in awe as a bolt of lightning struck the tip of the net, and he covered his ears at the boom from the thunder as it made its way into the little canisters they’d attached to the nets. The entire ship erupted into a series of proud cheers, and Ben and Rey quickly joined in on the applause as they sailed on through the storm. 

“This is amazing!” Rey shouted over the wind, and when he looked over, he found her face was completely soaked since she was looking up into the sky. “I can’t believe we’re doing this!”

“Neither can I!” he yelled in response, then he lost his grip on his hood, and the rain immediately began to drench his hair before he could even think to pull it back up. Rey howled her laughter as his black locks spiraled out of control in the raging winds, and he gave her a half-hearted glare before he reached over and flipped her hood back as well. She gasped her offense, then he gave her a smirk. “There! Now we match!”

“I hate you, Ben Solo!”

“No, you don’t!” 

She looked up at him with amusement in her eyes. “I’ll get you back, you know.”

“I’m well aware,” he said, then he took her hand. “Come on, let’s see if they’ll teach us how to do this.” He then proceeded to yank her in the direction of the gathered pirates, and she let out a surprised yelp as her legs forced her to follow him. 

Catching lightning turned out to not be an easy task by any means, and both of them wound up still sitting in the background just watching since the captain didn’t want to put them at any more risk than he felt he already had. Ben couldn’t quite argue with that reasoning, so he and Rey happily watched as more bolts came down from the storm, and the canisters were soon filled to the brim with beautiful blue—sometimes red— bolts of lightning. 

The rain continued to soak their faces until it was time to once again retreat below deck, and they waited until they were within the confines of their bedroom to shed their raincoats and examine the damage done to their clothes underneath. Ben’s shirt was rather drenched, and Rey’s entire dress wasn’t doing much better. Both of them froze at the realization that to sleep comfortably that night, they’d have to strip their outermost layers of clothing. 

“I mean, I’ve got the corset and pants on underneath this, so it won’t be like I’m completely nude,” Rey said, though her gaze avoided his as she looked out the small window on the far side of the room. 

“But, Rey, I’ve… seeing you like that… it… I was raised to…”

“Ben, we’re having an adventure, are we not?” she asked, then he watched with wide eyes as she began to undo the ties on her dress he’d meticulously put together the night before. “Things happen on adventures sometimes, and… it’s like you said; our only other option is to sleep in wet clothes… and personally, I'd rather be dry.”

He couldn’t exactly argue with her logic, though he was fighting every piece of his upbringing to agree with her as he reached for the edges of his white coat, and let it drop to the floor. His pulse thudded in his ears as he undid the buttons of his waistcoat, watching as she continued to successfully unlace herself from her dress. It occurred to him a few seconds later, though, that watching a woman derobe was probably highly inappropriate since he wasn’t married to her, and he quickly turned around. Sure, he was going to be sharing a bed with her minutes from now, but he figured he ought to maintain some semblance of propriety while he still had it as his waistcoat joined his coat on the floor. 

The next incredibly wet article of clothing on Ben’s body was his shirt, and his fingers trembled as he lifted it over his head. Cold air immediately settled over his body, causing the hair on his arms to rise and his nipples to harden as his shirt also crumpled to the floor in the pile he’d started at his feet. He then moved onto his boots, unlacing them with a speed he’d only heard of in stories up until that point until they also flopped to the ground, and a moment later he heard Rey’s do much the same. The fabric of her dress followed suit shortly after. 

Once they were undressed, Ben swallowed nervously, then he walked toward the candle Finn had set out for them earlier on the far side of the room, and blew it out. At least in the dark they could have some sense of privacy. 

But the room wasn’t dark. No, it was awash in a dim, silvery-blue light caused undoubtedly by—he turned around to see Rey still facing the window in nothing but her underthings, shining like stars were wont to do. So much for the illusion that they wouldn’t see anything. 

Ben’s breathing shook when he inhaled, and Rey slowly turned around, nearly giving him a heart attack as his eyes raked up and down her barely clothed form in the dim light. “My god,” he breathed, then he schooled himself instantly. “Okay, we can… we can do this, it’s awkward, but we can do this.”

Rey snorted at him, then she walked casually over to the bed, and flopped herself down upon it again. She then patted the mattress beside her, and Ben rushed over a little too quickly to join her, jumping down on the mattress forcefully enough to cause her to bounce up off of the bed. Both of them burst into laughter once she landed, and he would swear the star shone a bit more brightly in the aftermath. 

Hypnotized by the silvery-blue light, Ben reached out his fingers, letting them bathe in the rays coming off of her as her attentive eyes watched. “You really are a star, huh?”

“I am, how observant of you,” she said sarcastically. 

“I just mean… it’s fascinating, and I don’t know, it’s… it’s beautiful, if I’m being honest.”

A blush crept up her cheeks, and she turned away from him for a moment, making him fear he’d said the wrong thing until she turned back. “Thank you, Ben,” she replied. 

He gave her a soft nod. “You’re welcome. Now, I’m exhausted as all hell from today. What do you say we get to sleeping?”

“That sounds like a great idea,” she replied, then she shifted closer to him, and he felt his own cheeks growing hot as she turned onto her side, and slung an arm over the bare skin of his waist. “Wow, you’re warm.” 

Ben let out a soft chuckle, then he shook his head, and wrapped an arm around her back. “Good night, Rey.”

“Night, Ben.” Then he closed his eyes, listening to the sound of the wind whistling past them outside mixed in with her breathing for another few minutes before he finally surrendered to sleep’s clutches.

-

In the morning, Rey woke to find herself completely entangled with Ben. Their limbs were so thoroughly entwined she couldn’t quite tell where she ended and he began. It wasn’t exactly an uncomfortable position, and having Ben’s wondrously sculpted chest muscles pressed up against her cheek wasn’t something she was going to complain about anytime soon, but getting themselves out of this was going to be an absolute nightmare. 

First she’d have to figure out just where they were tangled. Her left arm had wound up wrapped around his head, her fingers woven deeply into his hair—and upon further inspection, he also had a hand buried in hers—and her right arm was still slung firmly around his waist, though now he was turned toward her instead of on his back. This new position allowed one of her legs to hitch up and hook itself around his left thigh, pulling him completely flush against her. Her other leg was wedged between his, and her heart nearly stopped when she felt the tip of his erection pressing against the top of her thigh. She hadn’t quite been prepared for this. 

Last night, despite all of her bravado, she was absolutely terrified of the clothless bed sharing with Ben. She was simply better at putting on a brave face than he was, but Rey was absolutely petrified. There had been no telling how he’d react to it, and at first with his hesitation she was afraid she’d accidentally pushed him too far. But Ben eventually realized she was right, and they’d wound up… here. 

Still Rey would be lying if she said it weren’t the most comfortable she’d ever been, and she could see the silver light coming off of her as she laid beside Ben. It reflected off of the bare skin of his chest and his arms—one of which she became distinctly aware of the fact that her head was using it as a pillow—making him look like he too had fallen from the sky. 

For some reason, that thought had her brain leaping into a daydream that one day he’d join her up in the sky, forgetting Phasma and the townspeople and Hux, and just lighting a candle with her to live amongst the stars. But that was just a silly fantasy, wasn’t it? He would never take her up on that sort of offer. It was simply not the life he was meant to live. 

Rey sighed as she turned her gaze up, and studied what she’d thought would be his sleeping face, but she was rather shocked to see him already looking at her. Her hazel met brownish gold, and an amused smirk that were nearly covered by a dark curl that had fallen into his eyes. “Good morning.”

“G-good morning,” she stammered, then she let out a soft laugh. “How long have you been awake?”

“A couple of minutes,” he replied, then he shrugged. “I’ve mostly just been trying to figure out how not to wake you.”

Rey nearly cackled. “I’ve been doing much the same, but I think since we’re both awake, it’s okay if you want to move now.”

“I… I’m a little afraid of what might happen if we try to move while we’re like this,” he said, then his gaze ventured down their tangled bodies. “We’ve tied ourselves up pretty thoroughly.”

Rey gave him a nod, then she simply tightened the grip of the arm she had slung around his waist. “I’m perfectly content with just lying here a few minutes before we try to figure it out if you are.”

“I am,” he replied, then his own arm pressed firmly into her back, and his entire body tensed around her for a second before he released his muscles, and the two of them relaxed into the mattress. 

They wound up accidentally falling asleep again until Poe’s knuckles rapped on their door another hour later. This unfortunately failed to wake them up, and Rey felt groggy and still half asleep when Poe burst into the room two minutes after that to see why they hadn’t woken. It wasn’t until she heard his surprised little, “ _ oh, _ ” that she even realized he was in there. Once she did, though, she was untangling herself from Ben at lightspeed. 

It was too late, though. The damage was already done. Poe laughed as he closed the door behind him, then he crossed his arms, and leaned against it. “Don’t tell me. This isn’t what it looks like.”

“It isn’t what it looks like,” Ben said, though the tomato of a blush creeping up his cheeks certainly seemed to suggest otherwise. Rey nearly slammed her palm into her face at the sight. 

“I’m sure it’s not,” Poe replied, his voice ripe with disbelief, then he cleared his throat. “But either way, breakfast in my chambers again, and then another fencing lesson. After, though… I’m thinking we ought to do something fun.”

Rey almost dreaded learning what something fun entailed as she adjusted her corset to make sure it more thoroughly covered her chest. “Like what, captain?”

“I don’t know, maybe I could show the two of you how to waltz. After all, you’ll need to learn to dance if you plan on getting married, Ben,” Poe answered, and just like that, her dreams and hopes about him were shattered anew. She could only hope neither of the men in the room had noticed the way her glow had dimmed to almost nothing in response to his words. 

“Right, marriage,” Ben said distractedly, then he shook his head. “We’ll meet you for breakfast in a few minutes. Right now we need to see if our clothes are dry.”

“Oh, damn it, that’s why you’re half naked! Of course! Why didn’t you ask me last night? I could’ve lent you more.”

“We were quite tired and honestly, I think we’re both more than alright with the arrangement,” Ben replied, and again Rey felt her heart soar at his words. Maybe it wasn’t entirely too hopeless, and maybe there was some part of him that felt the same way about her. He clearly grew flustered around her like she did with him, but she could easily write that off as his own awkwardness. It didn’t necessarily mean he felt romantic inclinations toward her. 

She could only hope he wanted her, too.

“I’ll let you two get dressed, then. Hopefully your clothes are dry. If not, come see me, we’ll work something out,” Poe said, then he made his exit as they thanked him in unison. 

They sat in silence for a few more seconds after that, and she slowly looked over at Ben in the aftermath to find him smiling softly at her as the daylight trickled in through their window, giving him a halo of light around his head as he stared at her. Again she was reminded of how wonderful he’d look amongst the stars as his lips parted, and he took in a subtle breath. “I have never wanted to get out of bed less.”

“I feel much the same way,” she promised him, then she smacked his shoulder. “But we have to. Busy day ahead of us and all.”

Ben groaned, and she laughed as she watched him cover his eyes with his arm. She tried not to pay attention to the contours of his muscles, truly she did, but the failure was inevitable as her eyes began to sweep over his skin. “Make me,” he grumbled. 

She certainly wasn’t going to refuse him this time. Without warning, Rey reached over, and tugged on his hand until the both of them were stumbling up off of the bed. Her back nearly collided with the far wall as Ben suddenly towered over her, standing much too close to be considered polite, but in the past day they’d already broken every other rule of propriety. What was one more?

His eyes were wide as he stared down at her, as if he couldn’t quite believe what she’d done, and with a feigned confidence, she shrugged. “What? You asked me to get you out of bed.”

“I believe my phrasing was, ‘make me,’ not ’pull my arm out of my socket, Rey, I would so love to be armless.’”

“Oh, please, you wouldn’t be armless. You’d still have your right arm,” she pointed out, then she gave him a grin she knew must’ve been downright shit eating, and he laughed, amused by her teasing. Still she suspected it would land her into trouble if her history with Ben Solo’s mischief was anything to go by. 

Instead of full out retaliating, Ben just reached forward, and ruffled her hair. He then looked down at the floor, and began to pick up the clothes he’d been forced to discard the night before. She watched him with an anxious pit boiling in her stomach. “Are they dry?”

Ben gave her a nod. “As a bone,” he answered, then he reached over to the other pile on the floor, and handed Rey the thick, blue fabric of her dress. She thanked him silently, then the two set about dressing themselves anew. 

The second day of lessons commenced much the same way as the first, only this time, Ben actually managed to beat the captain with ease by the end of it. Rey was starting to suspect that he never lacked the skills to be a fine fencer, but he’d simply never had the right teacher to show him the way. 

She watched with a slightly bored eye as the two danced across the deck, which had been cleared of crew members as they set about the various other tasks of piloting the ship through the skies. A part of her wanted to join in on the fun, but another thought she’d likely be absolute rubbish with a sword. After all, unlike Ben she’d never even held one before. 

Eventually, the lesson was over, and the captain took them below deck to partake in a lunch with him. During lunch, Rey found herself again growing bored as Ben and Poe talked about his refined fencing skills. As much as she knew she fancied him, there was only so much she could stand to hear about his many accomplishments with the captain. This caused her eyes to drift about the room as she searched for a source of entertainment. 

She found it in the form of a grand piano on the far side of the room from the dining table. The large, sleek, and shiny black instrument caught her eye almost immediately. In all the years she’d spent watching humanity, their love for music had been amongst the things she treasured most. Her ears were always filled with the most melodic of songs, and she’d been fascinated by the changes in style and rhythm she’d heard throughout the centuries since people had first crafted such things.

“Something caught your eye, Rey?” Poe asked, interrupting her thoughts. 

Rey flinched as she turned her gaze back on him, finding the captain was quirking am intrigued eyebrow at her as a blush crept up on her cheeks. “Well, yes, I was just noticing you had a piano.”

“Ah, that old thing,” Poe said with a nostalgic sigh. “I haven’t played it in ages, it’s mostly just sat there for decoration at this point. A shame, really. It’s quite a beautiful thing, plays the most wonderful music.”

“I can imagine. It’s absolutely stunning.”

“Would you like me to teach you to play? It would give me an excuse to make some music,” he offered, and Rey found herself nearly leaping out of her seat as she gave him an eager nod. Poe grinned. “Well, I think we’re done eating for now.” He then stood up, and brushed off dust that wasn’t there from his leather jacket. “I’ve been teaching you all day, Ben. I reckon it’s time I taught my other star pupil something.” With that, he tossed her a wink, and her blood ran cold for a few seconds as she processed this. 

While Rey was aware the captain knew of her secret, he had yet to bluntly confront her about such things, and she knew for certain that Ben had no inkling of the captain’s knowledge. At the mention of the word, she watched Ben’s grip tighten on the fork he still held, his knuckles growing white and his eyes darkening as he stared up at Poe. She wanted to tell him that it was alright, but a large part of her still feared what would happen if she spoke the truth of her identity aloud to anyone who wasn’t Ben. 

No, she couldn’t mention it to Poe. Not yet. Maybe not ever. 

Instead of mentioning anything about her true self, Rey allowed Poe to lead her over to the grand piano. The faint sound of metal clattering on wood, then that of Ben’s loud, enormous footsteps followed them, and soon the three of them were gathered around the large, black instrument as their captain opened it up. Ben simply leaned against the side of the piano while Poe and Rey sat next to each other on its bench, and the former of the two began gently pressing on the keys to make sure it still worked. 

A series of loud, glorious notes filled the air around them, interrupting the background noise spawned by the crew above. “Yep, still works,” Poe announced, then his fingers began to play a slow and gentle melody that Rey had never heard before. “Ready?”

She gave him a nod, then as he began to explain the complexities of the pianowork, she locked eyes with Ben, and the two of them exchanged a brief smile before she gave the captain her full attention. This time, it was her turn to be the student, and his to be the casual observer, and she was going to enjoy it. 

Later that day, with Rey having learned to play one, simple song with no more than five different notes and no key changes, they moved on to another lesson which involved both of them; dancing. 

The sun was setting as the crew set up a music box, one that played from a little horn while Finn turned a little lever round and round as the teacher and the student glided across the deck. First, Poe taught Ben, and Rey couldn’t help but notice that he rather liked teaching him as the two men laughed their way through a waltz. “It’s an important skill, my friend. If you cannot waltz, you can’t get anywhere in the world,” Poe told Ben between giggles. 

If his first mate thought Rey missed the ensuing jealous stare after that, he was wrong. She nearly snorted her laughter at the sight, but stopped herself when she realized she was definitely feeling a little green monster of her own rearing its head inside of her. It took effort, but she managed to push it down, and feign a smile until Poe reached for her hand a few minutes later. 

Her dancing skills were admittedly below par. After all, she’d only stood up and walked for the first time a week ago. For most of her life so far, she’d been naught but a voyeur to all that life had to offer, and now she was experiencing everything for the first time with new eyes. 

Poe on the other hand was a wonderful teacher as always, and he was patient with her even when she stepped on his toes. She could tell it hurt, too from the way he winced. “Sorry,” she told him softly, then he laughed. 

“Don’t worry about it,” he replied, then she watched as his stare drifted up just above her head, though what he was looking at she couldn’t be sure. At least, she wasn’t sure until he dipped her a moment later, and leaned in close. “Listen, Rey, I don’t mean to alarm you, but I know what you are.”

Without meaning to, her entire body tensed at his words, and she began to look for ways to escape before he quickly tightened his grip, and continued. “No, no, I’m not going to hurt you, but there are people who would, and I suspect you know what will happen to you if they find you.”

“They’ll cut out my heart, eat it, and gain eternal life,” she whispered. “Someone’s already tried.”

“I know, I’m sure. It’s your emotions that give you away,” he told her, then Poe cleared his throat. “You need to learn to control them. You’ve been glowing more brightly every day, and I think you know why.” The look in his eyes grew mischievous, and she somehow missed the way they flickered ever so briefly in Ben’s direction. 

“Well, of course I’ve been glowing, I’m a star. What do stars do best, captain?”

He hummed his assent, then he gave her a wink. “Well, it’s certainly not the waltz,” he answered, then before he could say anything else, Ben tapped him on the shoulder. Poe turned around, breaking the hold he had on Rey as he watched the other man gesture toward her in a silent “may I have this dance,” which Poe quickly granted him. 

Rey’s lips parted into a warm smile as Ben’s hand found hers, wrapping his large fingers around her smaller ones as his other hand took her waist, and hers took his shoulder. She laughed as Ben raised an eyebrow at her, and asked, “Shall we?”

“We shall,” she replied, then they began to dance across the deck, and suddenly Rey caught the captain’s meaning. She was shining more brightly now that it was Ben guiding her across the deck rather than Poe. And this was certainly not the first time he’d been the direct cause of a change in the brightness of her glow either, was it?  

Every single time Phasma had come up in conversation, she felt it dim with the sinking of her heart within her chest. Whenever Ben was by her side, whether it was lying in bed with her or just engaging her in a waltz, it grew brighter, almost overwhelmingly so. She wondered if Ben was aware of the emotional tie to the brightness of her shine. If Poe had made the connection, it stood to reason that he did too, didn’t it?

“Are you okay?” Ben asked after a moment, his voice full of concern. 

There was another thing Poe was right about. She really needed to work on hiding her emotions. “I’m fine. Why do you ask?”

“You look a little… nervous,” he replied, then she felt the hand on her waist tighten its grip slightly. “What’s troubling you?”

“Nothing,” she said with the shake of her head. “Nothing at all, just the usual worries.”

Ben’s worried expression softened, and he leaned in a little closer to her to whisper, “You know I’m going to get you home right? I made you a promise. Come hell or high water, you’ll get home again, Rey.”

She gave him a smile even though that was actually the last thing she was worried about at the moment. All she could think about were the burgeoning feelings inside of her that threatened to burst forth at any moment, and reveal the unfortunate truth that Poe Dameron had pulled out of her; the truth that she might just have been in love with him. 

“I know,” she told him in earnest, then she fell into silence, losing herself to their gentle steps, sways, and spins on the deck of an impossible ship as they soared onward toward the wall. 


	9. And Onwards to Wall

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is gonna be the last update for probably at least a week. Maybe a week and a half. It's finals week next week, and I'm going to die. I will be murdered. Brutally. Send luck. Anyway, we're almost to the good stuff, folks, just hang on tight.

The next morning, Ben’s arms were wrapped around Rey once again, and she was lying beside him tracing circles in the thin fabric of the shirt covering his chest. Likely in vain, she was trying desperately not to think about how it had felt the morning before that when he’d had nothing on at all, and they’d been so thoroughly tangled she couldn’t tell what limb belonged to whom. The morning before this one she had been drunk on the bliss that came from his warmth, shining like the sun above as they lay in the bed together. 

That time felt so far away now.

The night before, they’d danced for far too long at far too close a distance. If she’d leaned forward a scant few inches, she could’ve ended their waltz in a kiss. She would swear that his eyes had drifted down to her lips at some point, but it had been so fast it was entirely possible she’d just imagined it. 

Dancing with Ben had been an absolutely magical experience. They moved together like they were two halves of the same whole, moving in perfect harmony throughout. With the captain she’d danced like a fish out of water, stepping on his toes and having difficulty finding her rhythm, but with him… It was like suddenly the steps became clear, the beats of the violins and the piano were sharper, crisper, and next thing she knew she could  _ dance.  _ Not only could she dance, but she found that she was actually able to enjoy the act and the way it made her feel like she was a vision of grace. 

In the aftermath, things had gotten oddly quiet. They’d walked back to their bedroom in silence, but a companionable one, walking side by side until he opened the door, and ushered her in. She tried not to think about the way his hand brushed her arm as she walked in— well, she tried not to think specifically about how it made her feel. Shivers had run up and down her spine, and even when she laid down on the bed, took off her boots, and got underneath the covers with him once he’d shed his own— and his long, prince-like coat— she still found herself shaking a little too much. 

Ben had been concerned about it, and insisted on wrapping her closely in his arms to share body heat, thinking she had just been cold. With how little time they had left together, she wasn’t about to protest, and she let herself fall asleep in his arms. 

In the present she was committing to memory how it felt to have Ben’s arms around her while she still could. A part of her felt a tad creepy, but she couldn’t help looking up into his sleeping face, smiling at the realization that his hair had fallen into his eyes again. In his sleep, he looked more peaceful than she’d ever seen him. There was a contentedness to his expression that had her wanting to reach up and caress his cheek, but that was not her place, that sort of a gesture would cross a line they had only just begun to tread towards. At least, she thought they were, but if he was continuing to insist—well, maybe he wasn’t insisting, but he certainly wasn’t denying it either— that Phasma was his end game, she wasn’t so sure. 

Sunlight began to filter in through the window, illuminating the room in a replacement of Rey’s own shine. It had been lackluster since the night before and the horrifying realization that she loved him. Ben stirred, but did not yet wake as she watched the first of the orange tinted rays brush over his face, causing the corners of her mouth to twitch at the sight. 

Rey was truly deep in it now, wasn’t she? All because some stone had been cast from the earth and knocked her out of the sky just days earlier.  _ Five _ days earlier, to be specific. Which left her with only two more days before Ben would reunite with Phasma, and she would be naught but a distant memory. She was dreading that moment with every part of her soul. 

Under her watchful gaze, Ben’s eyes began to slowly drift open, and she quickly averted her eyes so as to not be caught staring, and instead kept them trained on the door to the bedroom. Odds were it was better to pretend she’d been lost in thought rather than staring openly at his tangled hair—and those ridiculously full lips of his. 

His arms tightened around her as he woke, groaning at the sunlight that was hitting his eyes. An involuntary laugh escaped her at the sound, and he responded with a light chuckle of his own. “Good morning,” he said, his voice just a tiny pinch deeper than it normally was. 

She beamed as she turned her head to look at him again, watching the light weave its way through his hair, casting an almost amber glow amongst the black. “Hi.”

“Have you been awake long?”

“No, just a couple of minutes,” she admitted, then she sighed as her palm rested flat on his chest. “I’m enjoying this. The rest, that is. When we first set out, I thought we’d have to walk the whole way back.”

“I don’t think we would’ve made it back.” A smile was growing broad on his face now as he stared up at the ceiling. “We would’ve collapsed from exhaustion. That warlock probably would’ve caught up to us by now.”

Rey shuddered at the memory of what had transpired in the false inn. They’d escaped with only seconds to spare, just barely avoiding being stabbed to death at the hands of that horrifying looking man. A part of her wondered if he was still after them, but she didn’t want to dwell on it too hard. This was their second to last morning before they would become separated forever. And even if it wasn’t, it was the last one before they returned to the village of wall, and she was presented to Phasma like a prize he’d won before he sent her back to the sky. At least one good thing would come out of trusting Ben, she’d get to go back home. 

“I don’t want to think about him,” she told Ben, then she shook her head. “He’s in the past now. We’ll never see him again.”

“We can hope.”

“How can you be sure, Ben?”

“Because we’re leaving Alderaan soon, and you’ll be back up in the sky before he even realizes you’ve gone. You’ll be safe, I promise.”

She sighed, her body relaxing against his as the words settled in that she wasn’t going to be killed by that creature. She had nothing to fear from him. He was just a terrifying shadow that haunted a few dark moments in her life; a thing of the past that needed to die in the depths of her memories. “I just… I should’ve known something was wrong there, in hindsight there were so many little signs and warnings…”

  
“Shhh… It’s okay, you’re safe now. No one’s going to hurt you ever again. Not while you’re with me.”

“Hmm, maybe I ought to stay here, then,” she mumbled jokingly, but instantly she froze, feeling her cheeks turn bright red as she realized what she’d just offered.

Luckily, it didn’t appear that Ben had heard her, and he simply carried on with his words of comfort. “I’m just sorry I didn’t get there sooner.”

Shaking her head, she began to play with a loose string on his shirt with the palm she’d splayed out on his chest. “It’s alright, Ben. You got there just in time. Think about it, if we’d been much later, we probably would’ve missed this ship. We’d be walking if you’d gotten here earlier; walking on a cloud.”

“That would’ve been interesting,” he said, then he laughed again. “How the hell would we have gotten down?”

“That’s an excellent question. You burned the last of the babylon candle doing that little stunt.” Rey ran a hand through her hair, and thought on it for a moment longer. Just how would they have gotten down from there if they hadn’t been swept up by pirates? “Do you think there’s a chance Poe would’ve come along the same route twice?”

“Who knows?” Ben asked with a shrug, then she felt his fingers reach up, and thread themselves through her hair, stroking it gently after she’d ruffled it. For a moment it felt like the lightning Poe and his crew always captured was sparking through her veins at his touch, and her breath caught in her throat as she looked up at him again, and he was definitely staring at her lips this time, there was no question about it. 

His deep brown eyes were darker than ever, his eyelids visibly hooded, and his own lips parted ever so slightly, making her take note of just how full and red they naturally were. She opened her mouth to say something, but it was at that precise moment that Poe’s fist came pounding upon the door, and the end of another wonderful morning at his side came around in full force. 

Their second to last day was spent much the same as the first few. By now, Ben had completely mastered fencing, growing skilled enough at it to pin Poe against the edge of the ship, his back pressed painfully against the rail if the wince on his face was anything to go by. The captain had looked up at him in shock, but there was also a welling of pride within his eyes as he put his hands up and announced, “Touche,” before they commenced another match. 

Rey learned more of the piano, this time learning a different song, one that seemed to match the melancholy mood she was feeling at the prospect of what would happen in just two days. It felt like only one, since the moment the ship touched down, the illusion of her and Ben would be over, and it would be back to focusing on returning to his village— to  _ Phasma. _

At night they waltzed again, gliding across the deck gracefully like they’d been practicing the dance for years instead of mere days. At some point, she became aware that Finn and Poe must have joined them in their waltz across the deck, but she didn’t focus on just when that had happened. She was too busy keeping her eyes on her own dance partner, trying to read the expression behind his and what he meant with every step.

“You’ve become quite the dancer,” she told him, then he laughed, shaking his head as he replied with words that sent more shivers racing up her spine. 

“It’s only when I’m with you. Every time I dance with someone else—”

“You mean, the captain?”

“Yes, but my point is, you make me a better dancer, Rey,” he told her, then he spun her around, and pulled her in close as they continued to waltz about the deck. 

She could feel herself shining again in response, and wondered if he noticed at this extremely close range they were now in. It was like how it had been that morning. They were too close, his eyes were hooded, and they were most definitely, undeniably, staring at her lips. 

It was so confusing, whatever this thing between them was. She knew she loved him. Of that much she was certain. She’d watched love enough times over the centuries to recognize it when she saw it in herself, but Ben was much more difficult to read. Sometimes it would seem like he’d forgotten the woman he was in love with back home, and other times he would remember her and remind the star that the plan was for her to meet Phasma and then go home; as if he were most certainly as in love with her as he’d been when he’d left his village. 

Surely he didn’t love her as much now. Not if he kept holding Rey like he always did, kept showing her small gestures of affection. Those little things had to mean  _ something _ , didn’t they? After all, Ben Solo had a heart that could swallow the kingdom, he was one of the kindest men she’d ever seen in all her years watching humanity. For him to do all of that with her and still be wholeheartedly in love with another? No, he would have to be utterly heartless to do that, and she knew he wasn’t capable of such evil. 

“Ben?” she asked, working up the nerve to ask him such a bold question, or at least something along those lines. 

“Yeah?”

“Do you even—?”

Before she could finish her sentence, the music suddenly cut off as the hand of the man spinning it slipped, and the spell was broken as the waltzes of both Finn and Poe and Ben and Rey came to a halt. “Ah, shit, sorry,” he replied, then the music kept on playing, but it felt too late. 

The two of them just stood there for a few moments staring at one another, then Rey swallowed nervously. “It’s getting late, and we make port tomorrow. We ought to…”

“Get some rest?” Ben finished when she lingered on the edge of her sentence for perhaps a second too long. 

“Yeah, some rest,” she replied, then she turned away from him, and approached the captain and Finn, who had resumed their dance as if nothing had gone astray. Gently, she reached out and tapped the former of the two on the shoulder. “Captain? We’re going to call it a night.”

“Alright, have a good night then,” he told them, then he tossed her a wink that had her blushing as she turned away, and walked below deck with Ben for the last time. 

The walk back was completely quiet, neither of them saying much until they entered the bedroom. Actually, they didn’t say anything at all until Rey tossed herself onto what she’d proclaimed to be her side of the bed. “I can’t believe the adventure’s almost over,” she murmured softly, letting her hands bunch up the fabric of her dress over her abdomen as they turned into anxious fists. 

“Neither can I.” He sat down beside her, also lying on his back as he stared up at the ceiling. “It’s been… it’s been one hell of an adventure, Rey. Thanks for joining me on it.”

“No.”

“No?”

“Thank  _ you _ for joining  _ me,”  _ she told him, then she let her hand fall from her stomach,  resting it in the space between them like she had the first time they’d slept in that room together. “Ben, before this, I hadn’t ever been anywhere. I was just the witness of everyone else’s stories, so regardless of how this ends, thank you for giving me something to remember; something that’s mine.”

There was a small grin tugging at the corners of his mouth as he turned to look at her, and his hand also fell into the space between them. His fingers wound up lacing with hers again as the smile grew wider, and  _ god,  _ she loved that smile. She was going to miss it when they parted. “You deserved it, Rey. Aside from the attempted murder and all—“ they both paused briefly to laugh. “It was a pretty fantastic adventure.”

“It was,” she replied, then she shifted closer onto her side, wrapping an arm around his waist, and resting her head on his shoulder. “I’ll remember you when it’s over.”

Suddenly Ben’s breath caught in his chest, and the hand holding hers tightened its grip just enough for her to notice. She wanted to think it was because he returned her feelings and didn’t want to see her go, but she also didn’t want to get her hopes up. For all she knew, Come morning she would still receive the colossal disappointment that would accompany the news that he was still in love with Phasma. “I’ll remember you, too,” he said,  his voice so quiet she almost didn’t hear it, but she did. 

A smile rose to her own face as she pulled him a little bit closer, and whispered the world’s softest good night, waiting until he said the same thing in return before she allowed her eyes to shut, and slowly succumbed to the clutches of sleep a few minutes later. 

-

Ben on the other hand was a live wire for almost the entire night. His pulse was racing, and his breathing was heavier than it ought to have been as he thought through the last conversation they’d had before she fell asleep. 

_ I’ll remember you _ , she’d said, as if she would never see him again after they finished their adventure, and realizing she was right caused some switch to flip inside of him that made him lose control of his emotions. He didn’t just want her to remember him, he was starting to realize. No, Ben wanted her to see him whenever she wanted to, to not just remember him in return, but to have him in her life. They’d been through too much together for him to want to separate from her now, and the longer they were together, the less he thought about Hux and Phasma and everyone in the village. 

He wasn’t sure what it meant yet, or just what it was that he felt about her, but he was fairly certain he fancied her at least a little. No, he fancied her a lot. Probably more than anyone he’d ever met. No one else had made his heart flutter in his chest like she did, nor did anyone make him feel such a sense of longing whenever he looked at them, and as Ben listed off these things, these  _ symptoms  _ in his head, he was starting to think of the conversation they had when they’d been tied up. 

She’d told him then that love was unconditional. It couldn’t be bought, and he was slowly starting to realize she was right. He was also starting to realize that he might just be in love with her, and phasma was just an infatuation he’d had. A thing of beauty and narcissism who has ensnared him in her clutches, using his love for her to make him do her bidding. 

Phasma didn’t love him. She never had, and she never would. Any love she gave him would be conditional; love that he bought with money, or wine, or a star. The truth of his toxic relationship with her hit him like a freight train, and he suddenly felt awfully stupid for all the years he’d wasted doting on her when everyone around him knew damn well he was wasting his time with a woman like that. His father knew it, though Han was far too kind to ever tell him so, the captain knew it and he’d never even met the woman, Finn knew it and he hadn’t either, and he knew above all that Rey was fully aware of it, too. 

In that moment, it became astoundingly clear to him that he couldn’t let the next day be the last they spent together. Their story would have to end eventually, after all, she still wanted to return home to her brothers and sisters as far as he knew. But perhaps the finding of the Babylon candle could be their next adventure, and at least it would buy him a little bit more time with her, wouldn’t it?

Ben had never felt more torn about anything in his life, and because of that, he wound up getting hardly any sleep that night. He knew he must’ve slept at some point, for he wound up waking with Rey’s arms wrapped around his waist as her body pressed against his from behind. He felt warm, almost a little too hot even from her body heat, but he didn’t mind it. The feeling was one he thought he could get used to easily. 

A soft hum filled his ears as he continued slipping into his conscious state, and a smile rose to his face as he realized Rey was humming what she learned on the piano the day before against the back of his neck. He allowed himself to lie there for a few minutes just listening to the sound of her voice as it carried the notes. It was an absolutely lovely sound, and he wondered what she’d sound like if he ever heard her sing an actual song. 

“You sound wonderful,” he said after a minute, and suddenly the humming ceased. Despite not facing her, he could practically see the blush that was forming on her cheeks, and he wished she wouldn’t be embarrassed as he felt her freeze against him. “Don’t stop, Rey, I’m not judging you.”

“Technically, you did pass a judgment. It was just a positive one,” she told him with a small laugh. “But thank you, I’ll keep that in mind for the next time you catch me.”

Ben reached down to hold the hand that had bunched up the fabric of his shirt in her fist, and sighed as he remembered there wasn’t supposed to be a next time. This was supposed to be the end of the line. Well, technically tomorrow was, but this was their last day on the flying ship. After that they were going to conclude the adventure and… never see one another again. 

At least, that had been the plan before. It was certainly not his intention now. No, now that he knew what it was he felt for Rey, he needed to extend the amount of time he had left with her to whenever she returned to the sky. Until that happened, Ben would be by her side, this he vowed to himself silently in the privacy of his own thoughts as they continued lying together. 

“How much longer do you think we have before our alarm clock comes to wake us up?” he asked after a few seconds. 

“Probably before I finish this sentence, why?”

“Well, you finished your sentence. So that’s not it, but if I had to guess, probably right around the time we start talking about something important,” he replied, then he almost laughed at his own statement as he remembered what he wanted to talk to her about this morning. If he wanted her to stay a little longer, he’d have to bring it up at some point, wouldn’t he? They’d have to talk about it, but he still wasn’t ready to have that conversation. He’d talk to her about how he felt when he was ready, when he was sure she wanted the same thing, or at least he suspected she did. There had to be something behind the way she shone around him, didn’t there?

“Something like what?”

It was then that Ben’s fear took hold of him, and gripped him like iron, not letting him go no matter how much he struggled. Suddenly he wasn’t so sure about telling her he had been wrong about what he wanted, and he had no idea what it meant when she glowed the way she did. Were stars capable of love? She certainly seemed capable of it, she was capable of affection at the very least, and he had strong suspicions she wasn’t acting, but was that enough?

“I don’t know, just… whatever we end up talking about.”

“Have you always been so eloquent with your word choices?” she asked, then they shared a short, awkward laughter, and finally the pounding came on the door. The captain’s voice followed shortly after announcing breakfast. Well, not just breakfast. They would be making port in three hours, and this part of the adventure would be concluding into the most terrifying one. 

They both hesitated to get up for a few minutes after that, as if the both of them were fully aware of just what this part of the journey entailed, and neither liked it. This was the truth for him, of that much he was certain, but he couldn’t quite tell how she felt yet. 

“I guess we should get moving, huh?” He looked over at her after he finished speaking, her expression unreadable as she nodded slowly, staring blankly ahead like she didn’t know what to say in response. 

“We should,” she eventually replied, then the untangled herself from him, and moved to get off of the bed. He watched her go for a moment, and as she was straightening out the folds of her dress, he couldn’t help but notice how dim the shine she always wore was. It was almost nonexistent. Again he wondered about the cause of its brightness, if it was indeed tied to her emotions as he suspected. If he was right, it meant that she was disappointed in the fact that this was their last day, but he was still too terrified of saying anything.

He’d have to ask her later when he eventually found the courage to confront her. 

The breakfast they ate that morning went by in silence. At least, Ben and Rey didn’t speak much. The majority of the conversation was carried by Finn and Poe, and they didn’t seem to notice that the two weren’t talking either as they talked on and on about the lakeside port they’d be docking at later. Apparently the sky ship could indeed handle water, which the captain assured him and Rey would make for an interesting landing. 

“You might want to stand near the bow, right at the very tip,” he told them, then he took another bite of his sausage. “Best place to be when we land the Falcon.”

“Really?” Ben said, and it was the only word he spoke for the entire meal. 

Poe nodded eagerly, then he winked at Finn. “Oh, yes. It’s definitely the best place.”

“You’ll really be able to enjoy the sea breeze from there,” Finn told them, then both men burst into laughter, but Ben was too busy wallowing in his own thoughts to notice as he and Rey exchanged a look, and she gave him a dim smile which he returned before they resumed eating their meal. 

Two and a half hours later they were standing at the bow with Ben behind Rey as she held on tightly to the rail of the bow. He held onto her with one hand and another piece of the rail with the other, keeping them both securely attached to the ship as captain Dameron piloted the ship toward the vast expanse of a lake. Both of them were laughing as the wind whipped at their faces, and they moved fast enough that he wondered if it was possible for his flesh to disappear from his face as the lake drew closer and closer. 

“Are you sure you want to stay here?” he asked Rey, having to shout even though she was literally pressed up against him. 

“Yeah, I’m sure!” she shouted in response, then she nudged him with one of her elbows. “Where’s your sense of adventure, Ben? Why don’t you live a little?”

“I just don’t want to get hurt, my father will wonder where I went if we die!”

Rey laughed in response as the ground below got large enough to the point where he could see the little waves as they lapped at the shore. “Well, you can always tell him it was my fault!”

“You’re the one who can live forever! Tell him yourself!”

“What’s his name again?”

“Han!” he shouted, then they were just a few feet above the water, almost skimming its surface. “My father’s name is Han Solo!” He then tightened his grip on the railing and her waist, holding her close against him. “Hold on!”

The ship hit the water with a massive splash, a wave of water careening over the bow to soak him and Rey completely as they ducked down beneath the railings, holding on for dear life until the water stopped pouring over them in buckets. By the time it was over— which Ben was certain was only a few seconds— they were both completely drenched, more so than they’d been the night they’d helped Poe’s crew catch lightning. 

Together, they stood up, and both of them were giggling like idiots as the crew shook their heads at them, and Poe grinned at them from behind the wheel as he continued steering them the rest of the way toward the shore. Ben shook his head at the captain, recalling his words from breakfast about the bow, and all he got in response was a thumbs up as his grin turned downright shit eating. 

More laughter escaped him as he looked back at Rey, and watched as she brushed her soaked hair out of her face, leaving one, lonesome little strand to stay behind on her forehead. Without thinking, Ben reached up, and brushed it out of the way as she froze in front of him, her hazel eyes watching him like a hawk as he tucked it behind her ear. Something within him was delighted to see the crimson creeping up her cheeks in the aftermath of his action, and he felt a sense of delight rising at the thought that she’d become so flustered because of something he’d done. 

Maybe things weren’t hopeless for them at all. 

“We are soaking wet,” he said, breaking the silence that had fallen between them as he stepped back from her, taking in their drenched appearances. The water had coated every inch of them, leaving not a single dry spot. The next few hours of traveling were going to be rather interesting, that much was for certain. 

Rey giggled as she looked between them, and nodded. “Yes, yes, we are. We are completely coated in water. How terribly observant of you.”

“I pride myself on my observation skills, I’ll have you know,” he said sarcastically, and he would swear he heard her snort as they stepped away from the bow, and walked back over to the center of the ship while it pulled up to a dock he hadn’t noticed when they were coming in. He had been rather distracted by their conversation, though, in his defense. Technically his lack of observation skills was entirely Rey’s fault. He was innocent.

The captain was laughing his ass off when he greeted them, taking in their dripping wet clothes with a shake of his head before asking Finn if he could bring them cloaks. Ben rejected the offer, not feeling as if he were the slightest bit cold, but he looked over to see Rey shivering slightly as she stood by his side. She would certainly be needing one, he thought as the first mate pressed a kiss to Poe’s cheek and disappeared below deck. . 

“How did that feel?” Poe asked, then he put his hands on his hips as he smiled at them. “Was the water warm?”

“Damn you, Poe,” Ben replied, but he was still chuckling a little as he spoke. “You set us up for that one.”

“Your fault if you can’t read social cues that clearly say that you’re being set up,” he said, then he shrugged. “But I could tell you were distracted, so I suppose I’ll let this lapse in judgment slide.”

“Oh, thank you, that’s very kind of you,” Ben said sarcastically, then both of the men laughed as the ship finally pulled up to the dock, and came to a stop a second later. Poe then stepped away from the wheel, and clapped a hand on the arm of his wet coat, giving him a slightly sorrowful look even as he was smiling. 

“I’ll be sad to see the two of you leave, you’ve made this journey quite the interesting one, I assure you,” he told them, then he sighed. “Thank you for letting me be myself around you. I’ll never forget it.”

The corners of Ben’s mouth lifted as the captain moved his hand away. “Captain, be yourself around your crew, too. I’m sure they’ll love you as much as we do. You can be a marauding pirate around everyone else, but tell them the truth.”

“You know, I think I just might,” Poe replied, then he looked even more sorrowful as Finn approached them holding a blue velvet cloak, and handed it to Rey. 

“Hopefully this keeps you warm on the journey, it’s a long one,” he told them. “You’re still about sixty or seventy miles from the wall.”

Rey gave him a warm smile. “It’ll do fine, thank you so much for everything,” she said, then she stepped back, and began to wrap it around herself as they prepared to say their goodbyes. 

Finn then turned to Ben, and held out his hand. “It’s been an honor, thanks for stowing away on our ship, I think you’ve made my captain’s spirit a little bit brighter,” he told him, and Ben felt his heart swell with joy from his words. 

Ben shook his hand, then as he pulled away, he grinned. “No, thank you for helping us, you didn’t have to do that.”

“My friend, of course we did,” Poe replied as they began to descend the staircase back onto the main deck. “Who would we be if we refused help to those in need? We’re pirates, not animals.”

Another laugh escaped him and Rey, who had just finished putting on her cloak as they walked out onto the main part of the deck where the crew was now setting up a plank for them to walk out onto the land beyond, and back to the wall. Poe and Finn lingered on the steps, though, the former of the two looking out onto the land where a path wound itself through the hills. “So, there’s the road you’ll need for wall,” he said, that same hint of solemnity growing in his eyes behind his smile as he pointed to the path. He then turned to the star standing at Ben’s side. “Good luck on your journey home, Rey, wherever that may be.”

“Thank you, captain, it means a lot,” she replied, and even she looked a little sad to be leaving the captain, never mind ending their adventure. They’d truly bonded with the captain and his crew over the last several days, and despite the short time frame, he was fairly certain he’d never forget any of them as long as he lived. Somehow, they’d woven their way into his heart and made their home there, and Ben didn’t want to kick them out anytime soon. 

“How can we ever thank you for what you’ve done to us?” Ben asked, then he cleared his throat. “I owe you a debt.”

Poe shook his head. “No, you don’t, and don’t mention it.” He then lowered his voice as he approached Ben. “Seriously, don’t mention it. Reputations, you know? Lifetime to build, seconds to destroy.” 

A look of disappointment crossed Ben’s face, but he gave the captain a nod as he began to turn away, but then he felt a hand on his arm. He turned to find Poe standing right behind him. “And, Ben?” His voice lowered even further as he whispered into his ear. “Your true love? She’s standing right in front of you,” he told him, then he winked as he pulled away. “Just think about it.”

His face must’ve shown true fear, for not even a second later, Poe was feigning more laughter and clapping his hands together. “But mind you, don’t wear that wench out, Ben!” he cried, then his crew gave a loud cheer, and he couldn’t help the small chuckle that escaped him as he then turned to Rey, and placed a hand on the small of her back. 

“Are you ready to go?” he asked, then she smiled warmly at him. 

“As ready as I’ll ever be,” she said, then they shared another grin, and the two of them gave the captain and his crew one last wave before they walked onto the plank, and off of the ship onto the waiting dock on the side heading toward the path to wall. This part of the adventure was now over, even as Ben looked back over his shoulder to see the crew of the Millenium Falcon waving and cheering them goodbye, he knew it was done. 

As he and Rey walked side by side up the long, winding path toward the wall, though, he realized that even though this one was over, another adventure was just beginning, and something within him suspected that this one would be far longer than the few days they’d spent in the sky.


	10. A Journey

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long. I had finals and then I was overwhelmed by other projects, but once I sat down to write thiS IT CAME RIGHT OUT. I LOVE THIS CHAPTER.

They were just making it up the hill when the captain cried out for them to stop, then Ben turned around to see Poe Dameron making his way toward them as fast as his feet would carry him. “Wait!” He cried, and it was then that he noticed the lightning canister in his hand, the strap attached to it whipping and flapping in the wind. “I meant to give you this.” 

Ben and Rey stopped in their steps completely as the captain approached, then he held out the canister to the former of the two, and gave them a broad grin. “Take it, your journey may still be dangerous.”

“Thank you,” Ben replied, taking the canister from his captain’s hand and putting the strap it was attached to over his body, letting it rest inches from his mother’s flower on the lapel of his jacket. “I appreciate it.”

Poe grinned, then he clapped a hand on Ben’s shoulder. “Well, i'd better get back to my ship, so… I’ll be seeing you, Ben,” he told him, then he looked at Rey. “And you.” He turned back to Ben, and pointed a finger into his chest. “Remember what I said.”

Ben gave him a tense smile, then the captain beamed at him, and slowly began backing away. “Okay, that… that should be it, then. Good luck on your journey.” He began to laugh. “Good luck with  _ Phasma. _ ” A wink and a flicker of his eyes in Rey’s direction for good measure. “And hopefully we’ll see each other again.”

“Hopefully,” Ben answered. The captain seemed pleased with that response, and Ben watched with a hint of sadness in his eyes as Poe Dameron retreated down the hill, and rejoined the crew of his ship. 

Once he was out of earshot, he turned to Rey. “Come on, let’s go home,” he told her, placing a hand at the small of her cloaked back as they began making their way up the path. 

“Yeah, you’ve got a Phasma to get home to,” she said as they walked. 

Ben’s hand slowly dropped from her back as he realized he’d forgotten about her again, and Poe had just mentioned her not even a minute ago. “Right, Phasma…” he murmured, falling a step or two behind Rey in their ascent of the hill. 

A moment of silence passed between them after that, like it always did whenever the elephant in the room was brought up. It was only broken when Rey cleared her throat, and asked him the question he’d been sincerely hoping she would not ask. “What did the captain say to you?” She seemed to wait until they were out of earshot of the ship before she began questioning him. “Before we left?”

Ben scratched the back of his head, “Just to… to count my blessings,” he said, hoping the little white lie would satisfy her. 

“Count your blessings?”

“Yeah, that’s what he said.”

“Are you… are you sure?”

Ben stopped walking completely, looking up at her with pleading eyes that he hoped would sell his lie as the truth. “Why wouldn’t I be?”

“You just…” she looked down at him with an unreadable expression. “You don’t sound like you are.”

He gave her a nervous laugh, then he crossed his arms over his chest. “Well, I’m an uncertain man, Rey.” It was true. He’d never experienced a time in his life where he’d been less sure of himself. At the moment he knew only a few things: that he was in love with Rey, that his relationship with Phasma had been a farce, and he was far too frightened of what would happen if he told her how he felt.  _ Wait.  _ Perhaps he wasn’t so uncertain after all, and it was just that last thing he knew that was stopping him from telling her the truth of what the captain had whispered in his ear. 

Still, Rey seemed to accept his new answer as the truth, and they continued on with their journey in silence for the next several moments. The sudden quiet wasn’t exactly pleasant though, it was awkward and heavy with unspoken words that they were both full to the point of bursting with. The entire time they walked, Ben kept wanting to stop her, to scream his unsaid confession and take her into his arms. Maybe he’d kiss her, maybe she’d kiss him back, and maybe after that they would take their sweet time walking back to wall. After all, without Phasma to worry about, they’d be free to do as they pleased. 

“What are you uncertain about, Ben?” She asked curiously. “I mean, I know it’s got to do with whatever the captain said but…”

Ben sighed. “Honestly?” They came to a stop then, and for a few moments all he could hear was the breeze whipping in his ears, swirling his long, wavy locks of hair around his head. “I know what it is. I know all of the reasons I’m confused… I’m just… I’m not ready to face them, Rey. I’m… im just scared.”

Her eyes were sympathetic when he met them, and she reached out a hand for his. “Then let me help you. Whatever it is you’re scared of-“  _ admitting I’m in love with you,  _ “I can help you.”

Ben stared at her hand for a moment, then slowly, hesitantly, he placed one of his in hers. “I know you can,” he replied, and in response, Rey said nothing, but he couldn’t help but notice that she started to glow again as she smiled at him, and they resumed their walk down the path. He cleared his throat. “What is that thing you’re doing?” he asked curiously. “Where you sort of… glitter?”

Rey laughed at him, and gently shoved him with her body as they walked. “Ben, do I really need to remind you of just what stars do?”

“Attract trouble?” Ben said sarcastically, then she rolled her eyes at him, and her grip loosened on his hand to the point where she had almost completely let go of him. Feeling panic rising within him at the thought that he might have genuinely upset her, he tightened his grip on her hand. “Wait! I’m sorry, that was… that was rude… Do I get another guess?”

The look she gave him was sly and a little bit mischievous. “I don’t know, that depends on your guess.”

Ben flashed her a brief, toothy grin. “Is it…” Rey cocked an eyebrow at him, and he couldn’t help the giggle that escaped him as he continued. “Is it that they know exactly how to annoy a boy called Ben Solo?” 

This time she was laughing right along with him, their laughter echoing off the hills. It was a joyous sound that was music to his ears, that made him wonder just what the hell he’d been doing with Phasma when Rey was—

“How long do you think that’ll take?” she asked, interrupting his thoughts before they could really start as she suddenly stopped walking. He quickly ceased his pace as well, his eyes following her gaze all the way down to the sign that read “Wall, 60 miles,” and pointed down the path they were taking. His smile fell when he saw it at the thought that he was still so far from home. His father must have been wondering what had happened to him, and it wasn’t like he could easily communicate with him. The image of Han sitting in their home, staring at the door, waiting for Ben to come home struck him, making him feel as if there was a pressure on his throat as he stared at the sign. 

He shrugged as he looked back at Rey. “Maybe two days?” he asked. “Three at most?”

“But we don’t have two days, Ben,” Rey reminded him, then he couldn’t help but notice the twinge of disappointment in her voice as she looked down at the ground, kicking a pebble out from under her skirts. “Phasma’s birthday is tomorrow.”

_ Oh. _ He’d forgotten about Phasma yet again. Poe’s words rang clear in his ears in that moment.  _ Your true love? She’s standing right in front of you,  _ he’d said, and he was all too aware of their meaning, but never more so than at this moment when Rey brought up the reason they were traveling in the first place. He truly did need to quit stalling and tell her how he felt, but fear once again clenched his heart in its cruel hand, and he chickened out before his mouth could even open. Instead of admitting it, he simply gave her an awkward upward twitch of his lips, then he ran his free hand through his hair. “Quite right… That’s… You’ve got an excellent memory.”

Rey hummed her assent as they continued walking on down the path. “Hilariously enough. You’d think that I’d run out of space after all those centuries in the sky, but no,” she told him, then her other hand reached up, and rested on his arm, squeezing his bicep. His coat and her cloak billowed out in the wind behind them, the fabric rustling in the wind the only noise they could hear for awhile. 

The walk resumed peacefully after that. Occasionally they made light conversation, but other than that, they seemed perfectly content to just hold one another while they walked. Ben wasn’t sure anymore why he’d been so worried the last night they’d spent together on the ship. Nothing seemed to have changed between them since they’d left Poe’s company, and he was grateful for that. 

It wasn’t until the sun had started to set in the sky that they really truly talked again, and that conversation was sparked by Ben hearing an approaching carriage coming around the bend ahead of them. Fear flooded him again for a different reason. People knew what Rey was, what she was capable of giving them. Everlasting life could tempt even the best of men, and at the moment, Rey was still shining too brightly for people to not notice. Whoever it was would have a hard time just riding right past them, no, there was a good chance they would stop and ask what was happening, and suspicion was not something they could afford. 

Thinking quickly, Ben’s eyes fell on a group of bushes he thought might stand a chance of concealing them, and he quickly let go of Rey’s hand, and grabbed her by the waist. She yelped as he spun them into the bushes, and he found himself blushing the same shade of crimson she was as he landed on top of her, bracing himself on his palms so he didn’t crush her under his weight as the approaching strangers started riding past them. 

“Ben, what the hell?” she asked, looking almost a little miffed, reminding him of their first few interactions, where she’d hated him vehemently and not wanted anything to do with him. They’d come a long way since then. The Rey from a week ago would never have let him stay on top of her this long, and she certainly wouldn’t have been shining at the realization that he was on top of her. “Are you trying to break my leg again?”

More memories flooded him as he remembered her limp, how she’d struggled to walk, how they’d had to climb her crater wall together and she’d nearly fallen and he’d —  he’d caught her… “I’m… I’m sorry,” he breathed, then he reached up, and pressed a palm to her cheek, laying all of his weight onto one hand as he stared down at her. Thoughts of kissing her resurfaced as he took in the sight of Rey shining beneath him, looking at him from beneath slightly hooded eyelids. He needed to get rid of those thoughts immediately. “I can’t risk people seeing you. I don’t trust anyone, and you shouldn’t either.”

“I don’t, but Ben, at this rate if we keep stopping…” she warned him, and Phasma rang out again as an unspoken warning, but he did not give a damn. Not anymore.

Ben shook his head. “No, We’re making good time, let’s just wait one more minute, then whoever it is will be gone for good, and we’ll be able to keep going.” His eyes flickered traitorously down to her lips, and his heart thudded in his chest as he looked back up at her eyes, finding mischief in her hazel depths like she knew exactly what she was doing to him.  _ Minx. _

“Aren’t you tempted?” she asked, and Ben realized suddenly that they were much closer than they’d been initially, his face mere inches from hers. Her glow surrounded his peripheral to the point where the rest of the world didn’t exist. It was him and it was Rey, and there was no one and nothing else around. 

“Tempted?” he replied, letting himself lean a little closer to her in a moment of weakness. “By what?” They were so close now, too close. He could feel her breath ghosting over his lips, and he imagined she could feel the same as his last tendrils of self control began to slip away. 

“By immortality,” she told him, then he pulled away from her ever so slightly, but the spell was still not quite broken as she continued speaking. “Just… What if it wasn’t me, Ben? What if it wasn’t my heart, just another star, one you didn’t know… would you do it then?”

Ben smiled down at her, the expression almost solemn in light of what they were discussing, but he brushed her hair behind her ear as his weight pressed a little further into her. “Rey, do you really think I could kill anyone?” he asked, then he shook his head. “No, I couldn’t. I couldn’t do that to a person, and even if I could… Everlasting life? I don’t know what it’s like up in the sky, but I imagine down here on Earth it can be kind of lonely.” He shrugged, thinking about what he said, then he thought about Rey up in the sky again. She had brothers and sisters who were always around her to provide love and affection. She was never alone, she’d said so herself. 

His gaze fell back on her still hooded eyes. “I don’t know, maybe if you had someone to share it with.” She swallowed nervously as she looked up at him, and suddenly he swore in the small space between them, he could hear her heart beating, too. “Maybe… maybe then it wouldn’t be so lonely. If you had someone you loved…” His voice trailed off as he looked down at her, her pink lips tempting him anew as he began to lean down, unsure of whether or not his mind was ready as his body moved of its own accord. The hand that had brushed her hair behind her ear slowly began to drift backwards, caressing the base of her skull as he pulled her closer to him. 

The inches between them started to grow smaller and smaller, until he could almost feel her lips ghosting over his, that feeling that came with almost touching someone but not quite making contact. It was an almost of extreme proportions, and it came to an abrupt half just before he could finally kiss her. Ben heard the faint neighing of a horse, probably the very same one which had forced them into the bushes in the first place, and suddenly he was snapped back to reality. 

“Come on,” he said, then he slowly crawled off of her, and stood up over the bushes, scanning their surroundings for signs of other people. “I think we’re safe.” Once he was sure of it, Ben bent down, and offered her both of his hands. Rey was still shining like the sun as she took them, and he shook his head as he looked at her. “You've got to get that under control.”

“I can’t help it.” She gave him a shrug as she resumed holding his hand. “I’m… I’m happy.”

“Yeah?” he asked, feeling his heart fluttering more in his chest as they began their walk down the path. “What for?”

This time she snickered. “I’m not certain,” she replied, then it was his turn to lightly shove her with his body, and they laughed about it for at least the next two hundred feet. 

They fell back into their easy going journey, talking when they felt like it, and simply basking in each other’s company amongst the backdrop of the setting sun while they walked at a casual pace. Ben had never felt more at peace than he did when he was with her, the realization of which made him feel further like a god damned fool as he and Rey walked toward the wall. He owed her so many debts. He owed her for making him realize he was wasting his time with Phasma, for taking him on this magnificent adventure, and most of all, he owed her for finally providing him a worthy place for his heart. 

But another three miles later, the trip was once again put in peril when they heard the tell tale sign of hooves clopping on the path. This time though, there were no bushes, only a bridge crossing over a small creek about ten feet beneath it, and it was Rey who pulled them aside, tugging forcefully on Ben’s hand to lead him down by the side of the bridge as they waited for the stranger to pass them by.

Rey peaked up over the bridge as the mystery rider approached them. “It’s just a man,” she announced to him. “With a blanket and a fancy caravan. Looks harmless.”

Ben followed her gaze, keeping his head bent down as he studied the approaching horses. Indeed there was a single rider, and he looked fairly harmless, somewhere between Ben’s age and his father’s with hair that rivaled his own in its darkness. For all he knew, the man wouldn’t hurt them, but he could also be the one who decided to cut Rey’s heart out and ended her life, and he couldn’t take that chance. “No, it’s too dangerous.”

“Ben, we won’t make it to the wall in time, and the sun’s almost down. If we can get a ride, we can be at the village in hours.” She laid her other hand over their already joined ones, and took in a deep breath. “We’re both tired. Let’s just try it, please? Look, I’m not even shining that brightly anymore.” Gesturing to her entire body with her eyes, she then looked back up at him eagerly. Worst comes to worse, you know how to use that sword now.”

He watched her eyes flicker down to the sword at his hips before they wandered back up to his, and as the hoof beats got closer, he sighed. “I hope this works,” he said, then she grinned at him. 

“It will,” she replied, then she led him up the hill, and back onto the path in plain view of the rider approaching.

“Excuse me!” Ben cried, letting go of Rey’s hand as he cried out for the driver to stop. Mercifully, the man did, and he even lifted his hat to peer curiously at him, though his eyes never did drift over to Rey, he noticed.  _ Odd.  _ “Hi, I’m sorry to bother you, but I was wondering if we could hitch a lift to--”

“Th-that’s-s-s m-my flower,” the man breathed, and Ben stared at him in confusion until the man pointed to the lapel of his jacket, where the flower that his mother had sold his father nearly nineteen years prior rested safely against his chest. “I’ve been looking for th-that thing for eighteen y-years.” 

“Oh? You have?” Ben’s voice was still laced with bewilderment as the strange man hopped down from his cart, and adjusted his coat around himself. 

“Yes, I have, give it b-back to me now!”

Rey scoffed, clearly offended by the man’s completely audacious command. “How dare you?” she cried. “That belonged to his mother!”

A part of Ben was tempted to smile at her, but as the man approached he seemed to have no regard for the fact that he was being yelled at. Alarm bells started going off in his head as he thought that maybe doing this hadn’t been such a good idea, and he had been right about not showing themselves from the bridge after all. 

“Perhaps I was mis-staken,” the man said, then he started to step away from Ben, who immediately held out his hand. 

“Wait! Don’t go! You can have it back, it seems to mean very much to you.” Relief flooded him when the stranger whom he did not trust one single bit turned around with a glint of evil in his eyes as he looked at Ben. “You can have it back, but in exchange we need passage to the wall.”

“Pass-ssage to the wall?” the man asked, then he clapped his hands together. “Well, then why didn’t you say so?”

“I did say so.”

“Yeah, I can get you to the wall.” There was an underlying tone to his voice that told Ben immediately that this stranger was up to no good, that he should turn tail and run, but he ignored the warning bells for some, stupid reason that later on he couldn’t quite bring himself to regret. 

“Food and lodging on the way?”

“I s-swear that you will arrive at the wall in th-the exact same condition that you’re in now.”

Ben sighed with relief, then he quickly thanked the man, and reached for the flower on the lapel of his jacket. A crooked smile appeared on the stranger’s face as Ben handed him the flower, then he shook his head at him. “You s-shouldn’t have done th-that,” he said, then he poked his chest with his free hand. “Do you have any clue what it was you jus-st had on you?”

“No?”

“A p-protection charm,” the stranger assured him. “The very thing th-that would have prevent-ted me from doing this.” With that, Ben suddenly felt overwhelmingly dizzy, then an odd sensation as if he was falling, and suddenly the man and Rey began to grow taller around him. No, they weren’t growing taller, he was shrinking down and down and down until the ground was a vast expanse before him, his horizons completely altered. 

Rey was immediately yelling at the stranger. “Oh my god, what did you do?” she asked, and Ben thought that was an excellent question. Just what did he do to him? What had happened to Ben so that he was no more than two inches tall and now felt compelled to move about on all fours? He looked down at himself as the star tried to launch herself at the man to no avail. Every kick, punch, and slap was simply bounced off of the apparent warlock like she wasn’t there. 

As Rey looked around in anger and confusion, Ben found himself being picked up in one hand by the warlock that had transformed him into… something. If he had to guess, going by the look of his pink feet he was now some sort of rodent. A part of him wanted to panic, but he wasn’t sure how much good that would do him, even if he had no clue just how long he would remain in this condition. The wizard had said though that he’d arrive at the wall in the exact same condition he’d found him in, so perhaps that was his deadline. There was only one way to find out, and it wouldn’t be done by him panicking. 

Behind him, he could hear the star still screaming at the warlock to change him back, and he admired her for it. He loved her a little bit more for her determination, and he longed more than ever to tell her so. Ben almost couldn’t hear the warlock’s words over the sound of Rey’s shouts as he was led to the trailer of sorts she seemed to be towing, and put into a crate which the man promptly locked while Rey glowered at him from behind. 

“Can you see or hear me?” Rey asked the man, and he still failed to turn around. Ben watched with amusement as she tried again to strike him, and nothing happened. “No? Then I need to give you a piece of my mind. Because you absolutely…  _ reek  _ of pee. You’re quite possibly one of the ugliest arseholes I’ve ever encountered, and if you don’t put  _ my _ Ben back as he was I will become your personal  _ poltergeist!” _

_ Her Ben. Her Ben. Her Ben. Her Ben. _ He was going to lose his damn mind. No one said things like that unless they loved someone a little, didn’t they? It was then he knew he couldn’t wait any longer. The moment he was a human again, he was going to say something, he was going to put his heart out there on the table for her to claim. All he could do now was wait, wait and hope that Rey wasn’t just taking the meaning of her words wrongly. 

*

Rey for her part spent the entire first hour they were in the back of the trailer fuming. She paced back and forth for a while, only stopping when they rounded a curve a little too roughly and she had to hold onto one of the phenomenally messy shelves lining the man’s brightly colored caravan while she avoided the occasional projectiles it flung at her. 

She shook her head as she straightened herself after a particularly rough patch of road, and sighed as she looked over at Ben. In mouse form, she couldn’t tell if he understood a lick of what was happening, if he even knew what had happened to him. All she wanted was for him to be human again, for him to stand there and tell her it was going to be okay, that he loved her and that Phasma would be a distant memory come morning. But he couldn’t do that… he was a god damn mouse.

Still, she was bursting with those feelings, with the fact that she did indeed love him, and ever since he’d nearly kissed her earlier — she’d been about ninety percent certain that was what was going to happen — in the bushes she’d had an inkling, a hunch that he reciprocated her feelings. Why else would he have looked at her like that? Why else would he have leaned down inch by inch until she could almost feel his full lips ghosting over hers as her eyes slowly drifted shut? Something had changed within him, and she had to tell him how she felt, she knew that now, but she needed to wait until he was a human again.

For the moment, though, it couldn’t hurt her to practice what she’d say. After all, Ben had given her no indication so far that he was sentient enough to know what was going on. With a nervous clearing of her throat, Rey walked toward her. “Ben?” she asked softly, and he didn’t look at her, but instead his gaze wandered past her. She followed his eyes toward a chunk of cheese that hung off the far wall, and she sighed. Of course he didn’t understand her. He was a mouse now, and mice wanted cheese, not confessions of love.

Deciding to bring him cheese anyway, Rey stood up, and walked over to the cheese, weary of the way the wagon was rocking over the dirt road. As she handed it to him, she sat down again on a stack of crates that she could only pray weren’t full of more cursed, magical artifacts that would harm her. “Ben, I need to tell you something,” she said, then she took in a deep breath, and closed her eyes, finding that she was unable to look at him even when he was a mouse and she was fairly confident he didn’t understand what she was saying. “Just bear with me here.” Another deep breath. A long, slow exhale. “I… I’ve been watching the Earth for centuries, and in that time… I lied a few days ago. I know a lot about love. I know about hate, lies, and deceit, things that made watching this world unbearable, but… the way people love is the most beautiful thing in all the reaches of the universe.

“I’ve seen planets far and wide, farther than you can fathom. I’ve seen worlds of diamonds and swirling nebulas, violent, but brilliant supernovas, and yet nothing has struck me as more beautiful than… than love. So me knowing that love is unconditional, to let you think that that’s the only thing I know of it would be a mistake because it’s more than that. You cannot stop it when it happens, you don’t even know when it happens half the time. All you know is one minute things are normal, and you hate someone and next thing you know, the sun rises on their face, and suddenly… Suddenly you see…” She felt her throat constrict around itself then, and it was as if there was a python on her shoulders, wrapping itself slowly around her as she continued, but she pushed forth. She had to get this off of her chest. 

“Ben, what I’m trying to say is… I love you,” she told him, her eyes still clamped shut as her voice shook from the emotional weight of what she was saying. “I… I love you, and I’ve known it for a couple of days now. I should’ve said something, but I’m too much of a coward to say it. So I’m saying it now while I don’t even know if you can hear me.” Rey paused, laughing at herself as she thought about the ridiculousness of her words just falling on deaf ears given their severity. “But if you can, I want you to know that my heart…” She placed her hand over her chest, feeling it pounding against her ribcage. “It’s yours if you want it. I don’t want anything in exchange for it, just… Just the knowledge that you’d give me yours in return.”

With that, Rey opened her eyes, to find that Ben wasn’t even facing her. He was eating the cheese, squeaking delightedly away as he shoved the chunk piece by piece into his mouth. A dramatic sigh left her lips, and she slumped against the wall of the caravan. He really, truly was a mouse wasn’t he? He hadn’t heard a damn word of what she’d just said. 

Feeling slightly defeated, she folded her arms over her chest, and closed her eyes again before she succumbed to sleep, and spent the remainder of their journey sleeping peacefully despite the caravan’s rocking. 

A few hours later, Rey was awakened by the rough stopping of the caravan as they pulled into the village. She jolted awake, looking around at her surroundings unsure of where she was or what had happened that day for a few seconds. When she didn’t see the familiar walls of their bedroom on board Poe’s ship, she at first felt a twinge of panic rush through her until she realized where they were. The star looked over at Ben, finding the little mouse wide awake and running about in his cage. A soft smile crossed her face as she heard the man driving their caravan get out of his seat, and come sauntering back to open the rear doors. 

Seeing his face again she only just resisted the urge to throw her most powerful punch into it, stopping herself only because she remembered how she couldn’t touch him. All she could do was scowl as he knelt down to Ben’s cage, and opened it. A moment later she followed him and Ben out of the caravan, her arms crossed over her chest as she listened to him instruct the man she loved on where the wall was from there. She listened intently to the directions, just in case he was truly unable to hear him, but then her brain short circuited. 

The warlock placed Ben gently on the ground, and waved a hand at him. In a swirl of black smoke, Ben was a human again, standing on wobbly feet before the man with a look of pure confusion on his face that was quickly replaced by recognition. Rey watched as he withdrew his sword from its sheath at his side. “You,” he growled, but then his strength seemed to leave him as he suddenly collapsed to the ground at the man’s feet. 

Rey rushed to his side, not hearing what the warlock said next as he boarded his caravan again, and he disappeared off into the night. “Ben,” she whispered, taking his face into her hands to see if he was alright. She was relieved to see him smile up at her as one of his hands rested over one of hers. “I’ve been so worried about you.”

“Mmm, Phasma,” he replied, then a frown grew on her face as he sleepily pressed a kiss to the palm of her hand. 

“I think I preferred it when you thought I was your mother,” she grumbled, then she sighed, resheathed his sword, and moved her hands down to lift him up, hoisting Ben over one shoulder with great effort— he was quite heavy, which didn’t surprise her at all— as she led him toward an inn that seemed to promise them a good place to shelter for the night. 

The innkeeper of the inn was either too drunk to care or he just didn’t notice that Rey was carrying Ben as if rescuing him from a fire, but when she tossed him a silver coin she’d fetched from Ben’s pockets, he simply handed her a key and told her, “Up the staircase, third door on the right,” before letting her go. She wasn’t about to protest, since she was far too tired to do so, and she simply took the key, and headed for the room. 

A grunt left her body as she unlocked it, and she nearly collapsed the second that she stumbled inside, but she remembered the unconscious body of Ben in her arms. It would do him no good if she wounded him further in her collapse. With one last burst of strength, she pushed onward to the bed against the center of the wall, and finally set him down on the mattress. Her knees weakening at the strain she’d put on her body, she immediately collapsed on top of him. 

It occurred to some vague part of her that she really ought to remove herself from him, but she figured it could wait a few more seconds, and Ben was warm. Outside and in the caravan had both been freezing, but his body heat warmed her for the first time in hours. For a moment she just let herself lie there, her head resting perfectly over his chest as it had on various occasions throughout their journey with Poe. His heart beat just as strongly in that instant as it always had, and she felt a sense of peace wash over her as the sweat she’d built up dried on her forehead. 

A few seconds later, she pushed herself up off of him, and looked down at his sleeping face, brushing a piece of his hair aside. Her confession from hours prior still rang in her ears, and she still couldn’t be one hundred percent certain he didn’t hear it. Only time would tell, time and whether or not Ben actually woke up from his slumber. Who knew what that warlock had done to him?

Rey quickly set to work making herself useful. She removed the boots off of both of their feet, shed her cloak and his jacket, and hung them and the lightning canister he’d slung over his shoulder on the coat rack positioned by the door before she shifted his body again. Another loud, heavy grunt left her as she lifted the sheets out from under him, and promptly tucked him in, making sure he was warm beneath the thick blankets provided by the inn. 

Looking down at him once she’d finished her work, she smiled, then in a moment of boldness that had been unmatched by all but her confession thus far, she leaned down, and pressed a kiss to his warm forehead. “Please, wake up,” she whispered, then she pulled away, and set about taking care of herself. After all she’d dealt with that day, she needed a hot bath. She deserved one. 

It didn’t take long for her eyes to settle on the room divider a few feet away from the bed’s foot. On the other side was a bath that had already been drawn, and a fireplace already lit. Perhaps the innkeeper was a no good drunkard, but whoever was helping him run this place most certainly knew what they were doing. She could only hope this wasn’t like the last inn she encountered. It still sent shivers up her spine to think about the warlock who had very nearly succeeded in killing her. If it hadn’t been for Ben and his admittedly flawed thinking…

She didn’t want to think about it. Instead, she checked behind the room divider to see if Ben was still sleeping, then she slowly began to undo the laces of her clothing. All she could hear for the next few minutes was the sound of her own breathing as she undid the laces of first her dress, then her corset, and let both of them fall to the floor before she removed her pants, undid the necklace from around her neck, set it down with her things, and took a deep breath as she hoisted a leg over the edge of the tub, and dipped a toe in the water. By the mercy of the other stars in the sky, it was still warm. 

Letting out a great sigh, she slowly brought the other leg over, and sank down into the bath, allowing the warm water to wash away all of the stresses she was feeling. Still as she leaned her head back against the tub, her thoughts drifted to Ben, and the fear of what would happen if he didn’t wake up. No matter how hard she tried not to think about it… Those thoughts kept haunting her like horrible ghosts. She should’ve been enjoying her bath, but all she could think about was Ben collapsing over and over again with his sword still in his hand. 

In the end, Rey was so lost in her thoughts, she didn’t notice when Ben got up off the bed, and walked over to the room divider, sliding a panel open with a sly grin on his face. “Morning,” he said, and she shrieked as she covered herself with the edge of the bathtub.

“What the hell, Ben?” she asked, splashing water into his face as he laughed, and backed away. As annoyed with him as she may have been, she felt a rush of relief flood her at the realization that he was okay. Ben was alive and joking with her like he always did, and that made her happier than anything. 

“I swear, I’m not looking,” he said, and she watched through the open panel as he turned around with his hands up. 

Deciding that this was a good a time as ever to get out of the bath, she stood up, and grabbed the towel that was hanging over the edge of the room divider. She tried not to think about the confession she’d given to him in the caravan as she wrapped it around herself, but failed miserably, which sent her into another round of overwhelming panic. He hadn’t run yet if he’d heard what she’d said. He was laughing and joking with her, which meant he either hadn’t heard or he was perfectly okay with it. 

Rey gripped the front of the towel tightly in her hands, and took in a deep breath as she closed her eyes. She could do this, she just needed the courage to step out from behind the room divider, and face him. Swallowing nervously, she let out that breath, and opened her eyes before walking out from behind the divider, and wringing her hair out on the carpet. “Okay, you can turn around now,” she said, then she took him in, slightly disheveled from the nap he’d taken, and felt herself fall for him a little more. 

His own breathing was shaky as he looked at her, and it occurred to her that wearing naught but a towel was probably a bit much for him-- he had after all been the one who had been so insistent that they turn around when they’d changed in front of one another that first night aboard Poe’s ship. When he started speaking, however, she forgot about her concern completely as she turned white as a sheet, and her blood left her body. “Did you mean what you said in the caravan?”

“What?” she asked, finding that singular word the only one she was capable of uttering at the moment. 

“Did you mean it?” He stepped forward, his eyes soft as they locked onto hers. “Rey…”

Again her eyelids fell shut, and she nodded. “Yes,” she said hurriedly, her breath shuddering as it left her lungs. “I did, I meant every word, Ben.”

A hand caressed her cheek, and she opened her eyes to find him staring down at her with so much warmth in her eyes, she was already shining anew as she realized what he was about to say. There was only one thing that could come from a look like that. “Rey, do you want to know what the captain told me right before we left his ship?”

Still trembling, she leaned into his touch, and rested a palm on his chest. “What did he say?”

“He told me my true love was standing right in front of me,” Ben replied, then he shook his head. “I was so stupid, Rey, I was so wrong.” One of his hands found its way into her hair then, stroking it gently as he leaned down, and pressed his forehead against hers, reminding her of the moment they’d nearly shared in the bushes earlier. “Because it’s you. I… I love you, too.”

Rey let out a noise somewhere between a laugh and a sob, then she tugged ever so slightly on the fabric of his shirt, and pulled him the remaining few inches forward so that at long last, his lips met hers. Her heart was racing in her chest as she wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him closely against her, his body flush against hers as she rose up on the tips of her toes to kiss him properly. 

It struck her that he was still so  _ warm.  _ A chill had filled the air when she’d gotten out of the tub, and she couldn’t feel a pinch of it now as Ben’s arms reached down to wrap around her waist, surrounding her with his body heat as their lips parted and came together again slowly, gently, like they had all the time in the world to learn one another. After all, with Phasma out of the picture now, their deadline had been pushed back far beyond the reaches of tomorrow. 

A part of her was still vaguely aware that she was wearing nothing but a towel, but Ben was respectful of her, his hands never straying from where they were wrapped around her waist. He seemed perfectly content to just hold her as his tongue swept into her mouth ever so slightly, deepening their kiss as she moaned contentedly. 

They kissed until they had to pull apart for air, both of them wide eyed and panting in the aftermath of their first kiss. Slowly though, smiles rose to their faces, and Rey found herself laughing as she kissed him again, smiling into the kiss as Ben began to walk her backwards. She didn’t mind it, she didn’t care where they were going, all she knew was that she would follow him absolutely anywhere. 

The backs of her legs suddenly hit the foot of the bed, and she let out a surprised squeak as they tumbled down onto it, breaking their kiss ever so briefly as more laughter erupted from their mouths, and Ben landed on top of her, bracing himself on his forearms so he did not crush her under his weight. She was still giggling helplessly when he looked down at her with a serious, but loving expression on his face, and sighed. “I love you,” he repeated. “Not Phasma, not anyone else. Rey, when we go back to wall…”

“Yes?” she asked, feeling a pinch of fear rise in her mind. 

“I want you to meet my father. I want him to meet the woman I truly love, unless you’d rather we searched for a babylon candle first.”

“Ben, I’ve got forever. A babylon candle can wait a few more days,” she promised him, her hands running through his hair as she pressed a brief kiss to the corner of his mouth. “But I don’t care about tomorrow, I… tonight, I want…”

“What do you want?” he asked, his voice more sincere than she’d ever heard it. 

“I want you, just you.” Her voice cracked on the second you, and she felt her eyes growing misty as he gave her a nod. 

His voice was hesitant, though as he took her in, the sight of her beneath him in nothing but a loosely wrapped towel was likely stirring emotions in him he had never felt before. She hadn’t felt them either. She’d seen this sort of thing done throughout the centuries, but experiencing it herself? She was nervous, undeniably nervous, but it was Ben, and she trusted him more than anyone she’d ever met. If there was anyone it was safe to do this with, it was him. “Rey, are you sure?” 

“I’ve never been more certain. Ben…” She paused, taking in a deep breath. “I love you, and we’ve denied it long enough.”

Ben said nothing, answering her with the sweetest, softest kiss she’d experienced from him thus far. His lips caressed hers so gently, and Rey wondered if it was actually true that he’d never kissed another woman before her. She quickly shook that thought from her mind though as she lost herself to their kiss, and his hand slowly crept up to the top of her towel, beginning to brush it aside. Without another word or a moment’s hesitation, they sank further into the mattress, and as Rey’s own nimble fingers worked at the ties of his shirt, she knew without a doubt that this was right, that they belonged together. 

That her heart, despite all of the impossibilities, had found the right person to give its forever. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> debating changing the rating. I probably won't but just in case, here's a heads up, and if it doesn't change with the next chapter, it won't change at all :D


	11. Together or Apart

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I kept the M rating. I have been writing a lot of smut lately and it's started to sound repetitive so I'm rolling it back a bit. Still I hope this works, and catch y'all next time.

Rey’s hands were shaking badly as she undid the ties of Ben’s shirt, and they were even worse as she unbuttoned his waistcoat while he began to press gentle, soothing kisses to her neck. She didn’t know why she was so full of anxiety. This was Ben; the man she trusted more than anyone she’d met on the Earth, the one who had saved her life so many times, and who had just told her seconds ago that he loved her. Yet still she was so scared. 

After all, she’d never done this before.

Sliding the waistcoat down his arms, she prayed he hadn’t noticed how she was trembling beneath him as he tossed it aside, but Ben was sweet, he cared about her, and of course he noticed. “Are you alright, Rey?” he asked, brushing a piece of her hair behind her ear as he looked down at her in concern. 

“I’m fine, just nervous,” she admitted, then he gave her a warm smile, and grabbed one of her hands from his shoulders, placing it over his heart. She could feel it thudding against his ribcage beneath her palm, likely beating even faster than her own. He was just as both frightened and excited as she was, she realized, and somehow that made her feel a little better. 

“So am I,” he replied, then he leaned down, capturing her lips with his in a short and sweet kiss that suddenly made her nerves disappear as if he were some sort of alchemist with a potion. “We’ll figure this out together.”

She gave him a relieved exhale, then she nodded. “That sounds good,” she replied, then she tugged gently on the fabric of his shirt. “I think it’s unfair that you’re still mostly dressed and I’m wearing a damn towel.”

He gave her a wink, then Ben sat up, and pulled his shirt over his head before crawling back over her slowly enough that she got a good look at what he’d had underneath it all that time. Ben was built like one of the gladiators she used to watch millenia earlier, and with a curiosity she’d never experienced before she ran her hands down his firm torso. 

Her eyes followed suit until she reached the laces keeping his trousers tight on his hips, then she paused, and glanced up at him with that same anxiety in her eyes. “Ben, you’re sure?”

He pressed a gentle kiss to the tip of her nose. “If it were anyone else, I wouldn’t be, but it’s you.” He then pressed another to her cheek, then looked down at her with the most serious, sober expression she’d ever seen on anyone’s face before. “I trust you more than anyone, Rey. I’ll be okay.”

Smiling warmly up at him, Rey nodded before pulling him into another kiss as her fingers rushed to undo the laces of his trousers, pulling them through bit by bit until they were completely undone. She then slowly began to push them down his hips, over the gentle swell of his ass before he took over, kicking the now useless fabric over the foot of the bed before he settled in between her legs once more. 

“Now I’m nervous,” he breathed, then they both laughed. “I never thought… we’d be here. I didn’t think you’d ever want to stay with me.”

“I didn’t know if you loved me,” she told him, then she swallowed her anxiety, and wrapped her arms around his neck. “I thought that you still wanted to go back to Phasma and I’d be… back in the sky.”

“Do you not still want to go home?”

She took in a deep breath. “I thought I did… but, Ben… I’ve realized something over the last few days, and that is that you feel like home. Wherever you are, that is where home is for me, so the sky? My brothers and sisters?” She looked up as if she could see through the ceiling all the way up into the cosmos, staring at a vast collection of stars and constellations that she knew as her family and friends. “I’ve got an eternity to see them again. The sky will be home again when you’re in it with me.”

“What, you want me to go up there with you?” Ben asked, his voice tinged with disbelief, and she wondered how she ever got so lucky as to see the look in his eyes when he heard her words, when he registered what he was to her. “In the sky?” His voice was so soft, so gentle, she almost didn’t hear it. 

“I want you to go with me everywhere,” she admitted, then she let a hand reach up and caress the base of his skull. “I don’t care where I am, as long as I’m with you.”

His voice broke as he said her name, then he was kissing her again, the fire crackling faintly in the background as Rey returned his kiss, pulling him tightly against her as her hands reached down for the pants he still wore. She could feel him shaking this time as she slowly began to tug them down, and broke their kiss ever so briefly to whisper, “Don’t be afraid,” before she was kissing him again. 

Ben pulled them down the rest of the way, taking over when she was midway down his thigh, then he was completely naked above her, but she hadn’t quite taken him in yet as she kissed him slowly, living for the new freedom they had now that there was no time limit. It hadn’t been very long, but already she was certain that what had started between them would only continue to grow into something beautiful. The years would pass, and they would only grow closer as the time went on, becoming their friend rather than an enemy they could never fight and win. As long as she had him by her side, they were invincible, the world could throw everything it had at them, and they would still come away victorious. 

As Ben’s hands reached for the place where she’d tucked in her towel, she managed to push aside her nerves in favor of kissing him as he untucked the fabric from where she’d secured it earlier upon walking out of the bath. Still she trembled a little beneath him, feeling a little, underlying anxiety as he slowly peeled the fabric off of her, and the cool air met the bare skin of her still damp chest. 

She continued to shake until he’d fully unwrapped the towel from around her chest, then she arched her back up off the mattress to grab it out from under herself, and toss it aside with his clothes. They were both completely bare to one another now, both lying completely still in those final moments before they fell into something they could never come back from. Rey was completely certain she wouldn’t want to as she looked up at Ben, asking him one last time with her eyes if he was sure. 

Ben only answered her with another searing kiss, one of his hands reaching for one of hers and lacing their fingers together as he assured her that yes, he was sure, and he wanted this.  _ He wanted her.  _ Rey smiled against his kiss, returning it as his other hand began to drift up the bare skin of her waist.

In the background she could hear the fire crackling gently as Ben explored her first with his hands, skin drifting over skin in the dim light of the room. Well, it would’ve been in that state, but Rey was shining brightly the entire time, casting a glow over them both that only grew brighter as he later entered her gently, pressing in ever so slowly as if he were afraid of causing her pain. The star gasped as he thrust into her, still keeping a steady pace as he moved, his gaze matching that of the lovers she’d seen gazing intensely into one another’s eyes throughout the centuries as he looked into her eyes.

A sweat built up between them, a slight sheen covering their bodies that only seemed to reflect Rey’s intense glow as she worked to meet Ben with each thrust, feeling sheer delight course through her veins as the minutes passed. In all the centuries she’d come to know and see love, she’d never thought it would be like  _ this.  _ She hadn’t known it would make her feel as if every fiber of her being was on fire in the best possible way, or that every time her lips came together with Ben’s it really was as she said  - like coming home - or that making it would leave her feeling… she wasn’t even sure how to describe it. 

All she knew was that she felt perfectly at peace, like the world and all of its evils couldn’t harm them. Every bad moment from the very second she fell to Earth was all nothing, and it was only Rey, Ben, and their inn bed. Nothing else existed, and she didn’t want it to.

The energy between them started building to something more as they shifted positions, and this time it was Rey on top of him as they continued kissing, and she ground down onto him with a skill she hadn’t known she possessed, building them slowly but surely to their climaxes. It had felt for a while like they were building to something she’d only ever seen in observation, from centuries of watching the earth, but had yet to find out for herself what it felt like. Still, she was eager to find out, eagerly riding Ben toward that endgame, but taking her time all the same. They had forever, and she intended to make use of it.

When she finally came, she shouted his name into the skin of his shoulder as she rode him through it, and he followed shortly behind her, his hands holding onto her back tightly as he gasped for breath from the feelings she brought him. They were both shivering and shaking, Rey’s shine dimming slightly in the aftermath, both of them panting as they laid there for a moment coming down from their highs. 

It felt like ages before she finally pulled back, and stared down at him for a few seconds before she was kissing him again, breaking away from him every so often to take in air for her oxygen starved lungs. Despite all of the things they’d done, somehow she’d never been more breathless than in that moment. They’d climbed out of a crater together, walked through the woods for hours, narrowly escaped death via Babylon candle, and caught lightning with pirates - yet none of those things had ever rendered her so thoroughly winded as this. 

Ben seemed to be faring about the same as she was, panting just as hard between each of their slightly frenzied, but sweet kisses. Eventually, even the kisses came to a stop as they both realized they were indeed too out of breath to continue. He settled for resting his forehead against hers, a giggle escaping him as he held her close. 

Neither of them said anything for a while, both of them exhausted from the journey they’d taken both physically and emotionally. It had been worth it, though, every second of worrying and wondering - every fear inducing second. All of the moments they’d shared over their journey, good or bad had led them to this one, and for once she wasn’t regretting her fall to earth. 

If she’d stayed in the sky she would’ve only remained a casual observer to the daily lives of the Earth’s people. She never would have met any of the kind souls she’d shared her company with on the journey. Most importantly, she never would have met  _ Ben.  _

“Something on your mind?” he asked, an inquisitive look in his eyes as he pulled away from her just enough to be visible. 

She shook her head. “Nothing, I’m just…” It took her a minute to figure out how to put her thoughts into words, and it briefly occurred to her that she could have just said nothing at all and merely ended the conversation with another kiss, but he deserved to hear what she had to say. “I’m just really glad I met you.”

“I’m really glad I met you, too,” he replied, then he looked around the room, his brows furrowing in concern. 

“What’s wrong?”

“Have you noticed it’s freezing in here?”

Rey snorted, then she reached down, and grasped the sheets of their bed in her hand. “Maybe it’ll help if we get under these.”

“That’s… that’s probably a good idea,” he replied, then they both shared a laugh as he rolled off of her and the two of them crawled forward on the bed. Rey peeled the covers back first, and slipped beneath them, pulling the fabric all the way up to her chin as she watched him do the same, though he only pulled it up to his chest. His eyes locked into hers as he settled in beside her, then an arm snaked its way around her waist as she gave him a delighted giggle. 

She sighed contentedly as she settled into his arms, letting him pull her closer until he was able to press a kiss to her forehead. “Rey,” he breathed, then their eyes locked again, and she could see words left unsaid dancing around in his gaze. 

“I know,” she whispered, then she tilted her head up, catching him in a lengthy kiss that recaptured her breath as she weaved her fingers through his hair - something which had become habit throughout the night and intensified it, letting the passion they built up earlier reignite as they kissed. 

“Aren’t you tired?” Ben asked, then he chuckled softly. 

“Not if you aren’t,” she whispered, then she leaned away again. “But we don’t have to. We’ve got all the time in the world now.”

Ben laughed, then he ran a hand gently through her hair, and whispered in her ear, “Then why not take advantage of it?” 

Her lips parted in a wide grin before she crossed the few inches between them to capture Ben in another kiss, which he was quick to reciprocate before he slowly rolled on top of her, and the air between them grew heated anew. 

*

Ben woke up the next morning to the sunlight streaming through their window, nearly blinding him the very moment he opened his eyes. A groan left his lips as he processed just where he was, and once he realized it, he was delighted to notice one of Rey’s arms wrapped casually around his waist, a glow emanating from her that was nearly bright enough to ward off that of the sun. 

The events of the previous day hadn’t quite left him, but only intensified the feelings of warmth and comfort he was getting from being held in her arms. One of her legs had wedged its way between his in the night, and he was fairly certain he’d been in this position before, only now they were wearing a lot less clothing. This time, they wouldn’t have to pretend they were just being forced to share a bed or that they were just being one another’s companions to pass the time. No, this time they were completely allowed to hold one another. 

Ben did exactly that for a few moments until a thought occurred to him almost out of the blue. They were very close to the wall, and while they really had all the time in the world before they had to go back and he introduced her to his father, he still had unfinished business with someone else. 

Rey had nothing to do with his business with Phasma anymore, and if he were being honest he wanted to keep her as far away as possible from the Star. There was no telling what she’d do if she ever saw the woman he loved, and he certainly didn’t want to find out. 

With this in mind, Ben slowly turned over in the bed, being ever so careful not to wake Rey, and studied her sleeping face. She was shining even more brightly from this angle, a soft smile tilting up the corners of her mouth as she slept, seeming to do so deeply, perhaps even enough so that he could make the world’s fastest run into the wall village, tell off Phasma, and return before she ever woke. The plan formed quickly in his mind, but he soon realized he wouldn’t be able to get away with his idea unless he brought his former lover some sort of proof that he’d met a Star, and captured a piece of her. 

With that in mind, Ben slowly lifted back the covers, and walked over to where his jacket had been dropped to the floor on her side of the bed. He had a vague memory of her carrying him, flopping him down on the bed, and collapsing on top of him before she stripped him of his outer layers, but it was fuzzy around the edges. While he remembered his unfortunate time as a mouse clear as day, what came after he turned back human was much less clear. 

He laughed a little at himself as he bent down to grab his clothes from the floor, dressing to the waist before he searched his pockets for something he could use to cut off a small piece of Rey’s hair as something to give Phasma to let her know he’d found the Star, but she wasn’t hers to keep. Ben found it in the form of a small pocket knife the captain must’ve left behind in the pockets of his coat before giving it to him. Tossing the knife once in his hands, he strode back over to Rey, and hesitated as he looked down at her. 

An ache had developed in his gut at the thought of leaving her behind in the inn, but he figured as long as he left a message for her in the event that she woke up before he did, he’d be okay. Wouldn’t he? Ben shook his head, not allowing himself to give the idea of something going wrong another second of his time before he leaned over her, and pressed a gentle kiss to the crown of her head before he took a piece of hair in his hand, and sliced it off at the end. 

His heart was pounding in his chest, and a feeling of impending doom filled his gut, but he couldn’t place just what was making him feel that way. It felt like every fiber of his being was screaming at him not to do this, no matter how much he promised himself he was going to return before she even woke up. Even if he didn’t, he’d return eventually anyways, he just had to leave her a message. 

Swallowing nervously, Ben searched his pockets for something to store it in, and breathed a sigh of relief when he found a handkerchief the captain must’ve left behind. He tucked the lock of hair into it before shoving it into his jacket, and continued dressing all the way before he looked at her again, captivated by the way she glowed. He wondered if she’d always do that, or if it would always make him feel as if he were shining just as brightly as she was. “I’ll be back, Rey,” he whispered, then he moved toward the door, grabbing the lightning canister and his sword on the way out. “I promise.”

And with that, Ben walked out of their room and down the stairs into the lobby he vaguely remembered being carried through by Rey’s unexpectedly strong arms the night before, searching for any sign of the innkeeper who might be able to relay his message to her in the event that she woke up before he returned. He found him passed out on a chair, snoring loudly, and reeking of alcohol. 

With a caution he hadn’t known he possessed, Ben approached the innkeeper, and cleared his throat. “Excuse me?” he asked softly, then he frowned when the man didn’t seem to hear him. Finding his courage, he tried again, “Excuse me? I need to leave a message for someone.”

“Ask me again at a more reasonable hour,” a gruff voice answered him. 

“But I need to leave now, I need you to leave a message for my… friend in case she wakes up before I’m back.”

“I don’t care. Ask me again later.”

“Could I tell you what I want to say then and you can relay it to her if she wakes up?” he asked, feeling his sense of hope starting to leave him the longer he argued with the man. “Please, it’s important.”

At last, the man seemed to surrender, and he gave Ben a shrug, which he figured was better than a direct no. “Fine, if it’ll make you go away.”

Ben nodded eagerly, thanking the innkeeper as he took in a deep breath, and told him exactly what he wanted to tell Rey. “Tell her I’m sorry for leaving her early, but I’ve found my true love, and now I just need to get something done so I can spend the rest of my life with her.” He found a smile spreading across his face as he looked up at the staircase, leading to the second floor of the inn where Rey was sleeping peacefully. “I’ll be back.”

“Great, now git,” the man hissed at him, then Ben bowed his head, and walked out of the inn without another word. 

That sense of dread in the pit of his stomach only built the further he got from Rey, to the point where it was almost nauseating, and he picked up his pace to a brisk jog. He practically ran the remainder of the way to the wall, only pausing his breakneck pace when he walked through, finding that old Yoda was asleep as he walked past, much to his relief. It was quickly replaced by that same terrible, gnawing sensation that something was terribly, terribly wrong.

One thing became abundantly clear to him; he needed to hurry.

When he finally made it to the village, he was both surprised and not at all shocked to find that it was exactly as he’d left it. He had changed so much on his journey. He’d become a completely different man to the one he’d been when he careened over the wall, and directly into Rey via babylon candle. The man he’d been before had been weak, foolish, and blinded by a love that wasn’t really even a love, but more so an infatuation. 

The person Ben was now as he walked down the street toward Phasma’s home was much stronger, smarter, and infinitely more self aware, but that still didn’t explain why he was so steadfastly ignoring the pit in his stomach. He pushed that feeling aside again as he approached her door, trying to hold back the smirk of satisfaction from what he knew he’d get watching her realize he had become everything she wanted. After all those years of treating him like dirt just because he didn’t have all the money in the world, she was about to get what was coming to her. 

He was still biting back that smile as he tapped his knuckles thrice on her door, and stepped back waiting for Phasma to appear, rehearsing everything he wanted to say in his head. That plan, of course, went right out the window the second the door opened, and she finally showed her face. She was still beautiful, that much rang true, but he recognized her cold eyes for what they were now. He could see how ingenuine her smile was when she let his name slide from her lips, her voice still ringing clear and clean to him somehow. 

“What happened to you?” she asked him, looking him up and down, undoubtedly noticing how different he looked. A week ago she’d parted ways with a boy, but now… 

“I found it,” he told her plainly, still only just holding back that satisfied smirk. “I found the star.”

Phasma’s jaw went slack as she stared at him. “I can’t believe it… Can I see it? Where’s my star?” He grinned at her as he reached into his pocket, pulling out the handkerchief he’d wrapped Rey’s hair in before he left. “Is it beautiful?”

_ Oh god yes, _ Rey was stunning, that much was certain. It wasn’t what he loved about her, no he loved everything else, and he was often too busy with said everything else to notice that she was indeed beautiful. “Yes,” he said. “Yes it is.”

“Well, it’s awfully small,” she replied, her face falling slightly in disappointment as he handed it to her. 

Ben shrugged. “That’s just a little piece, I couldn’t bring the whole thing.” It wasn’t entirely a lie. As far as he knew, Rey was still sleeping soundly in their inn bed unaware that he’d even left. “It’s just a birthday present.”

“Well, then forget the star,” Phasma said, and a week ago, he would’ve loved the way she stepped forward, and wrapped her arms around his neck. He would’ve lived for her fingers threading through his hair as she pulled him closer. “It’s not what I want anymore. You’ve proven yourself to me.” He was going to throw up at that, and another swelling sense of pride filled him as he realized how much he’d grown. It was clear now how much she loved using him, playing with him like he was her toy, and making him beg and plead for attention she scarcely gave. He was immune to that now, and he’d never fall for it again. “And now you know what I want…”

A soft chuckle left him as he wrapped his arms around her waist, dipping her slightly as he grinned. “Yeah, I do.” He then leaned down as if he was going to kiss her, waiting until he saw her eyes drift shut before he finally let his smirk loose, and he whispered, “You want to grow up, and get over yourself.” With that, he let her go, barely holding back another laugh as he watched her fall on her ass. “I’m done being your toy, Phasma.”

He wanted to say more to her, but the sound of a bag crashing to the pavement interrupted him, and he looked over to see Hux standing there, just a few feet away, gaping at him. The two men stared at one another for a moment, and Ben watched as his former nemesis - he no longer cared about him enough to continue the feud, and after all, the woman they feuded over he didn’t love anymore - took him in much the same way as his lover had. “Solo,” he said awkwardly, almost as if he couldn’t believe he was actually looking at Ben and not some pirate king. 

“Armitage,” he said, letting his hand rest casually on the hilt of his sword as he turned to face him. “How are you?”

Hux scoffed. “You must have a death wish,” he muttered, brandishing his own sword. 

Ben almost groaned, but instead he just rolled his eyes, and withdrew his, twirling it around in the air a few times in front of himself before he stepped forward. “It’s alright,” he promised him, then he put his hands up, and sheathed his sword, glancing back down at Phasma, who was now unwrapping the handkerchief he had handed her. “She’s all yours. You deserve each other.”

“What?” Hux asked, still looking at him like he’d sprouted a second head. 

“Yes, I’m surrendering, You’re truly the perfect couple, the two of you,” he said, then he began to back away, ready to head back to Rey and begin their forever. “Best of luck.”

Just as he started to turn around and walk away back to the wall, the feeling in Ben’s gut that everything was about to go horribly, horribly wrong finally came to a head as Phasma scoffed, the sound capturing his attention. He turned around to face her as she crumpled up the handkerchief and threw it at him. “What the hell is this, Ben? It’s just a measly lump of stardust!” she cried, and Ben’s blood ran cold as he caught it. 

His fingers shook as they opened the little piece of fabric, but all he saw when he finally let it fall open was a little handful of exactly what Phasma had said; glittering, black, stardust. Ben wasn’t exactly sure what would cause that, but he knew only one thing had changed from the moment he’d cut it from Rey’s head to the moment he stood before Phasma and Hux now. He’d crossed over the wall, and that hair had become dust. He had a bad feeling that it wouldn’t just be Rey’s hair that disappeared if she tried to follow him across the wall if she woke up. 

“Rey can’t cross the wall,” he said, his voice shaking as he turned around, and ran faster than his legs had ever carried him back in the direction of the wall. His blood was pumping in his veins, his heart racing at speeds that could not possibly be healthy for a human being as he prayed that she hadn’t tried to come into the village after him, that she was still asleep in their bed, shining brightly and brilliantly in the morning light. 

Ben tried to convince himself that she was fine, but that gnawing feeling in the pit of his stomach told him that was not the case. It wasn’t just paranoia, either, he knew that now. It was something else, some part of him knew that she was in danger, and he’d left her there anyway. He’d left her at risk, with a message from a man who hadn’t exactly proven himself a dependable carrier, and she was definitely in trouble because of it.

Full of regret, Ben plowed through the trees just beyond the village, breaking through the line to where he could see the wall, and what lay just beyond it. He could see the familiar yellow of the caravan that had taken them to the village the day before, its horse still attached and looking around confusedly, but the wheels on the damn thing were completely wrecked. The caravan was immovable, and all around it various pieces of debris were scattered, telling him that there had been a struggle there, but everyone involved had left. 

No one ever tried to cross over from Alderaan into the wall village, he knew that for a fact. The only person who could’ve been involved in this was Rey, and apparently the warlock who had driven them there yesterday if the caravan was anything to go by. She’d woken up before he’d gotten back for sure, and he was too late. 

“No!” he cried, plowing ahead anyway, even though he knew the situation had to be hopeless. Or maybe it wasn’t, since the wall guard was still there, though he was now making his way up the hill carrying the chair he’d always sat on in his eighty years guarding the damned thing. “What the hell happened?” he asked as he approached him, hoping he didn’t look as crazed and lost as he felt. 

“I quit! Happening, that is!” Yoda shouted at him as he practically waddled up the hill away from the wall. “Stop people from going out, I tried, from coming in? Prepared, I was not.”

Ben stopped walking, then he gripped the man by the shoulders, and perhaps a bit more forcefully than he needed to given that he was ninety seven years old, but Rey was in danger. Logic wasn’t available at the moment. “What the hell happened?”

“Where to start, I know not.”

“Just tell me!”

His face fell as the man explained to him what had happened. Rey had tried to cross the wall, but she was stopped by an older woman in a white dress who had stopped her from crossing over the wall, but before they could celebrate their freedom they’d been taken captive by another warlock, and carried off somewhere to the east with the rising sun 

Panic rushed through him anew as he pushed past the wall guard to inspect the caravan on the other side of the wall. He could practically hear his pulse in his ears as he took in the destruction, but didn’t observe it too closely until he hopped up into the back of it and saw how strewn about everything was. It looked as though a fight had gone down in there, or perhaps whoever had driven the caravan had left in a hurry… possibly to stop Rey from going over the wall? But who would do such a thing? The warlock didn’t even seem to be capable of seeing Rey, much less helping her. His thoughts drifted back to the woman the wall guard had mentioned. Was it possible she had been the one to save Rey’s life?

He didn’t have time to dwell on it, and began to make his way out of the caravan, but stopped when he saw something familiar on the floor. His mother’s glass flower was shining dimly in the faint sunlight like some sort of beacon of hope. The warlock had told him when he handed it over that the flower symbolized protection, and Ben had a feeling that where he was going, he would need it. 

Without a second thought, he snatched the flower from the ground, reuniting it with the lapel of his jacket, then he jumped out of the caravan and took out his sword, freeing its horse from its attachment. It occurred to him that he wasn’t the most skilled rider of horses, and hadn’t ever taken one at a speed faster than a trot, but there wasn’t time to worry about that now as he hurriedly launched himself up from the ground and onto its back. The creature let out a grunt as Ben’s weight settled over it, then he set it in motion, and the horse shot into a gallop that nearly sent him flying straight for the stars. Somehow, by miracle of perhaps god himself, he didn’t. Instead, he went flying off in the direction the wall guard told him Rey and the woman he owed a great debt to had taken, fear in his eyes as he prayed quietly to himself. 

_ Please don’t be too late. Please, please don’t be too late.  _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry about the cliffhanger. If you don't already know the movie, watch it if you want to spoil yourself.


	12. A Rescue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OH MY GOD IT'S ALMOST OVER. Thank fuck, I'll miss this one, but I'm going to be grateful to finally move on to other projects without GUILT.

As a star, it was an abnormality for Rey to have slept at night. In all of her many, many years, she’d never quite been able to pull it off, not until she’d spent the night in Ben’s bed for the first time. Something about being in his arms, especially as the days had gone on, had made it almost easy, and the light of day started to make her feel more awake despite thousands upon thousands of years of conditioning herself otherwise.

That morning, she rolled over with a smile on her face, wondering if Ben was already awake as she turned, reaching out an arm to wrap it around his waist, but finding nothing. “Ben?” Her eyes snapped open, and with alarm, she sat up clutching the blankets to her chest as she realized he wasn’t there. “ _Ben?_ ” Her voice grew urgent as she realized he wasn’t there. In fact, there was no trace of the man she’d fallen asleep next to the night before. It was almost like he’d never been there in the first place, like he’d left her completely.

 _No, no, he wouldn’t_ , she tried to reason with herself. He’d told her just last night that he loved her, that she was home, and he’d offered to join her in the sky one day when they were ready. He wouldn’t leave her after that, would he?

_He would if it was all a lie._

Quickly shoving such a thought from her mind, Rey got out of bed, and hurriedly put her clothes back on, her fingers trembling as she redid the lacings of her corset and shoved on her underwear. By the time she got to the laces of her dress, the ones that Ben had done up when she’d worn it for the first time, her fingers were shaking so badly that she abandoned the task altogether, and left the back of her dress undone as she shoved her feet into her boots.

Without a second thought, she rushed out of the inn room, back down the hallway she’d carried Ben down the night prior, and all the way down to the lobby where the innkeeper was busying himself smoking a pipe. “Excuse me?” she asked him politely, having to repeat the two words a few times before he finally noticed her. “Have you seen my friend?”

“The tall guy?” he asked, then upon seeing her eager nod, he added, “He left early, woke me up in the middle of my nap.”

“Ben left?” Her voice started to fill with fear, she could feel it. All of those concerns she’d had a minute ago that he had abandoned her started filling in again, and a nausea built in the pit of her stomach.

“Yeah, he told me to tell you that he’s sorry, but he’s found his true love, and he wants to spend the rest of his life with her.”

It felt like the rug had been swept out from under her feet, and all of Rey’s strength was being used just to keep her standing as she gripped the railing of the inn’s stairs with a white knuckled hand. “ _What?_ ” No, no, no, no, this wasn’t happening. “Are you sure?”

“I’m positive.”

She didn’t say another word, she didn’t even think one. Before the man could say anything to her, Rey was rushing out the door and into the streets of the wall village. She didn’t even know where she was going, didn’t notice that she was walking past the caravan that had taken herself and Ben to the inn the night before, nor the woman in white yelling at her to stop walking. All she could think about was heading to that wall, crossing it, and…? After that she wasn’t sure. Did she want to yell at Ben? Did she want to scream, and cry and give him hell? What did she want to do to him? What _could_ she do to him? What would she say? She had no earthly idea, all she knew was that a complete numbness had taken over as she walked out of the village, and into the grassy field overlooking the one thing she and Ben had sought endlessly throughout the past week.

A lump formed in her throat as she recalled the night before. He’d been so soft, so tender and loving it was impossible to imagine that what he was saying could’ve ever been false. But the innkeeper had said… Ben had gone off to see the love of his life… Ben had left her in order to do it… there was one logical conclusion to come from that.

The wall drew closer and closer, and she only grew more numb, but an underlying sorrow had started leaking in with it, and by the time she’d started to step her foot over the first stone, there was a tear streaking down her face. The whole, terrible, almost hypnotic walk ended, however, when suddenly a hand wrapped around her wrist - though it didn’t surround her fully, it more so encompassed the majority of it - and a woman’s voice cried, “Stop!” in a fit of desperation.

Rey whirled around to see a shorter, brunette woman with silver hints in her hair and a few wrinkles lining her stunningly familiar eyes, which were pleading with her as she spoke. “I was starting to worry you couldn’t hear me.”

“Who are you?” Rey asked, her grief and numbness fading away into rage as she stared at the woman. “Let go of me, I have to go!”

“If you cross that damn wall, you’ll die,” the woman said, and suddenly Rey froze, looking back at the land beyond the wall - which looked completely harmless and quite frankly the same as what lay on the side she stood on presently - with apprehension.

“What?”

“I saw you last night, I know what you are,” she explained, which sent Rey’s heart racing in her chest, and only worsened her fear when she added, “If you go over there, you’ll turn to rock, and there’ll be no turning you back.”

Rey’s jaw dropped, then she stepped away from the wall, and relief briefly crossed the face of the woman. Before she could thank her though, the stranger cried out as she fell to the ground, being dragged by a silvery white chain that Rey’s eyes followed to the warlock who’d turned Ben into a mouse the day before - the one who conveniently couldn’t see or hear her - standing just outside his gigantic, yellow caravan as he pulled the woman in by a chain wrapped around her ankle.

“Wretched bitch!” he shouted, tugging tightly on the chain as he pulled her closer and closer.

“Leave her alone!” Rey cried, rushing forward to try and punch the warlock as best she could, but then she was interrupted by the sound of a horse neighing behind her, and as she turned around, her blood ran cold.

A black carriage, driven by equally dark horses was trotting toward them, slowly coming to a stop. The damn thing was menacing enough on its own, but when she saw the driver wearing menacing looking black and gold robes, she turned white as a sheet. It was the warlock from the inn she’d found in the middle of nowhere, the one who had disguised himself as a woman and then nearly cut her heart out before Ben - she couldn’t think about him now. She had to run.

“Trying to enter wall, were you?” the wicked man - Snoke, if that was his true name - asked her.

The other warlock dropped the chain of the woman, and walked over to talk to Snoke, giving Rey the opportunity she needed to try and make her escape.

First she rushed over to the woman, who was slowly pushing herself to her feet as the two warlocks conversed. She offered the stranger who’d saved her life her hands, and was quietly thanked as she pulled her the rest of the way to her feet. “Listen, I don’t know why you saved me, but I’m Rey, and we need to run,” she told her.

“I’m Leia… but you’ll have to go on without me… I can’t,” the stranger said, holding out a brown-booted foot that was bound in that beautiful looking chain. “It’s unbreakable. Go on without me, get as far away as you can.”

“I’m not leaving you here.”

“Rey, _go._ ”

“There has to be something I can do, something to-” Rey didn’t get to finish her sentence, at that moment, there was a loud rush of wind, and as she turned around again, she watched as Snoke sent out a wave of green magic so powerful, it obliterated the warlock that owned the caravan, and he blew away with the breeze as a cloud of black dust.

A light tingling noise filled her ears, and she and Leia looked down to see the silvery chain disappearing bit by bit before their eyes. “I’m free,” her new friend breathed.

“How?”

“He said I’d only be free when he died… And now he’s gone…”

“Good riddance.”

Leia never got the chance to say anything else, at that moment, Snoke stalked up to them, looming over the two women with his much taller frame. “It’s time to go,” he hissed at Rey, then he began to walk back to his carriage.

“She isn’t going anywhere,” Leia growed at him, gripping Rey’s arm protectively, positioning herself as if she was a shield against the powerful warlock. The star wished she could warn her that it was useless. They were caught, the trap had been sprung, set, and successful. She was going to die, and there was nothing she could do about it.

Snoke gave them a wicked cackle, then he waved his hand, and another silver chain wrapped itself around their wrists, joining the two women together as Rey looked at Leia - who somehow remained stoic and almost a little furious - in fright. “It’s alright. You can come, too,” he said, then he tugged on his end of the chain, and led the two women over to the carriage. “You can ride inside, or be dragged behind it. Your choice.”

Rey didn’t like either option, but if she was going to die, she was going to ride to her death comfortably. Closing her eyes, she allowed the older woman to guide her into the carriage, and she didn’t open them until she felt it moving through the Alderaanian countryside, guiding her toward her end like it was death’s chariot.

When she opened her eyes, she turned to stare at Leia, panting hard as she looked at the older woman in wonder, noticing for the first time the intricate braids her hair was done up in. “So much for saving me, then.”

“I’d do it again. I couldn’t let you die like that,” Leia said, resting a hand gently over Rey’s, and instantly a wave of calm washed over the star, as if by some sort of magic, she had cured her of her worries. “But why were you trying to cross the wall alone? When I saw you yesterday-”

“You saw me yesterday?”

A sad smile crossed the older woman’s features. “Dee-jay, the um, warlock who owned the caravan kept me as his slave. When I saw you yesterday, I was a bird. He’s mostly kept me in the form of an animal ever since…” She shook her head. “Never mind. What happened to the boy you were with? I heard you call him Ben in the caravan.”

Rey blushed at the thought that her intimate confession to Ben had been heard by any other ears, but something in her said that Leia was trustworthy, she could talk about anything with her. Including the way Ben had broken her heart. “He left,” she said solemnly, feeling that lump rise in her throat again. “He told the innkeeper that he had found his true love, and he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her. He abandoned me in our…” she almost said bed, but didn’t want to finish that sentence.

“Bed?” Leia asked, and there was a hint of almost surprised mischief in her voice.

“Yes. I was going to the wall to…” A sob left her throat, then she shook her head as all of her problems came flooding through her at once. “And now I’m going to die and there is nothing I can do. He… he promised he wouldn’t let anyone cut out my heart…” It was so odd. On the walk the day before, Ben had been adamant about protecting her from view, about making sure that she was safe. Why would he do that if his intent had just been to abandon her?

It didn’t make sense, but it was her reality now. “And then he left…” she breathed, another sob overtaking her as she leaned back against the seat of the carriage. “I thought I knew him. I’ve only known him a week, but I thought…”

“I’m so sorry, Rey, but are you sure you understood the innkeeper’s message?”

“What else can ‘He’s sorry, but he’s found his true love,’ mean?”

“I’ve met that man, he’s a right asshole when he wants to be. He may not have been paying attention to what Ben was saying,” Leia told her, gripping her hand more tightly as she spoke. “Think about everything else you knew. Are you sure Ben is the type of person who would leave you like this?”

“No…” she said, then she sniffled. “He was the first person I met on Earth to try and offer me a way home. The _only_ person who offered me a way home. Ben… Ben wasn’t even there to find the star, he was just trying to find his mother…”

“What?”

Rey didn’t hear the sudden fearful, but hopeful lilt to Leia’s voice. “He crashed into me thanks to some babylon candle his mother had given him. He didn’t know her… He was trying to find her… and he got me…” She remembered what she said to him when they’d been tied up on Poe’s ship then, how he’d only thought he’d end up with _a lump of celestial rock,_ and wound up with her instead. The memory brought a smile to her face, one that was quickly washed away with a fat, salty tear as she looked down at the carriage floor. “And we had an adventure.”

Leia was quiet for a moment, almost too quiet, then she spoke again after what felt like hours. For all she knew, it may have been. The scenery certainly looked different by the time Leia’s voice rang slightly hoarse in her ears again. “Rey, I think you may have just had a misunderstanding.”

“How come?”

“Because if you didn’t… What was Ben’s full name?”

“Ben Solo, why?”

“If you didn’t just have a misunderstanding, _my son_ is going to face some absolute _hell_ when he finally meets me.”

Rey’s heart dropped in her chest as she processed that news, but as she looked into those stunningly familiar brown eyes, she knew it to be true. This woman, Leia, who had saved her life and gotten imprisoned with her was Ben’s mother. The more she looked at her, the clearer the resemblance became, and her jaw fell ajar. “Oh my stars…”

“I don’t know my son, but his father was a good man. I only knew him for one night, but if he has his father’s last name…” Leia took in a deep breath. “That means he raised him, and I was right.”

Wiping a tear from her cheek, Rey sighed. “I wonder if he knows I’m gone, if he knows where I am... “ She sniffled again as she wiped another away. “If he’ll remember me when I’m dead.” Her voice broke on the last word, and she collapsed into herself, burying her face in her knees as she sobbed openly in front of Leia. At some point, Ben’s mother wrapped an arm around her, and swept her upper half onto her lap, stroking her hair as she cried out from her fear and grief.

She’d gotten it all out of her system by the time they arrived at their destination, which Rey had determined to be hell as they’d ridden by it. The home was positioned in what looked to be an old crater, and it was so rundown and beaten up by time that if she wasn’t absolutely certain this was where the warlock lived, she would’ve thought it was abandoned.

Her grip on Leia’s hand had never been tighter as they watched the warlock come around to their side of the carriage, and throw the door open before tugging on their chain, and leading them out of it. Rey stared up at the suddenly menacing, terrible house in fright, but she schooled her expression, unwilling to show fear in front of the warlock as he opened his giant doors with a wave of his hand, and with a snap of his fingers the candles started burning on the chandeliers.

Once they were inside, Snoke turned to the two women, sizing up Leia as he walked over to her, and undid the chain binding her wrist to Rey’s with a wave of his hand. The chain remained attached to Rey’s hand, though. “You’ll stay here, I need a slave girl to tidy up this mess. I’ll deal with you later… For now…” Snoke walked back over to the star, and smiled down at her wickedly as his hand reached up to cup her chin. “My business remains with you.

Rey smacked his hand away forcefully, practically snarling at him as she cried out, throwing a punch to his face that never landed as a wave of magic simply threw her to the floor. “You pathetic child,” Snoke chided, then he lifted her off of the floor without touching her, and she panted heavily as she tried to break free from his hold. It was useless. The warlock led her frozen form down a corridor, leaving Leia behind to watch in terror - likely having suspended her as well - as he led her toward a long, curved staircase that went up to a balcony.

It took all of her strength to remind herself not to show fear as she was led up those stairs and toward a table with straps positioned for the sole person of holding someone down to it. Again, Rey struggled against him, but she continued to fail, even as he laid her down on the table, and bound her tightly against it with the leather straps before turning around to grab a piece of glass. “I need to sharpen my knife… seeing as you broke the last one,” Snoke hissed, and the star couldn’t help the little smirk that grew on her face in response.

The ensuing slap to the face from Snoke’s magic was definitely worth it.

*

Around the same time, Ben arrived at the dark, mysterious looking mansion, panting hard as he hopped off the back of his horse, then patted it on the rear, sending the creature running far away from there to safety. It was innocent, it didn’t deserve to face the wrath of an angry warlock that Ben was fairly certain wouldn’t spare his life if he could help it.

Taking in a nervous breath, he rested his hand over his mother’s flower on his lapel, praying that it would be enough to shield him - and later Rey - from the warlock’s powerful magic as he approached the window and peeked inside.

The house was just as dark and gloomy as he’d thought it’d be. The color scheme of the whole thing was in shades of black and dark, bleak green that gave it a haunting appearance which wasn’t helped at all by the cobwebs covering the walls. What made the whole thing worse was the cages of animals off to the sides, anxious rodents, amphibians, and occasionally the odd monkey, wolf, or two all paced back and forth behind their bars, eyes turned in fear toward what lay at the center of the far end of the long room.

Ben’s breath shook from fear in his chest when he saw Rey strapped to a table on a balcony at the far end of the room, and then from anger when he saw Snoke sharpening a knife just behind her, the glass shining brightly in the houses dim light. His fist clenched tightly at his side, and he had to remind himself not to reach up and punch the window. It wouldn’t do her any good for him to give himself away before he was ready.

That might not have been an option, though. Before Ben could even blink, he felt the slight, sharp pressure of a knife being pressed to his side, and he suddenly had bigger problems than just getting into the house. “What business do you have here?” a familiar voice growled, and he swiveled his head to see Prince Luke Skywalker staring at him angrily.

“Luke?” he asked, hoping that the prince would recognize him as an ally and drop the knife.

The prince squinted at him a moment, then the knife fell from his side. “Ben?”

“What the hell are you doing here?”

“I could ask you the same thing!”

“I’m trying to rescue Rey.”

“The woman from the inn?”

“You met her?”

“Yes! She tried to warn me that the woman who ran the inn was-”

“A warlock?”

“ _Yes!”_

Ben ran a hand through his hair in disbelief, unable to process that somehow, after all they’d been through, they’d still managed to run into one another again. “What the hell are you doing here, though?”

Luke sighed. “I was trying to find my father’s necklace so I could assume the throne, tracked it down to some men on a sky ship. They told me a woman had it, and she was heading for the wall. Managed to trace her path here from there.” He glanced through the window, also taking sight of Rey strapped to the table. “What about you?”

“I’m trying to save her life,” Ben said, his voice shaking as he watched the knife in Snoke’s hands grow sharper and sharper. “I promised I’d keep her safe.” He looked down at the ground. “I’ve failed.”

“Not yet you haven’t,” Luke told him, then he turned, and placed a hand on Ben’s shoulder. “We’re going to have to fight like hell, but we’re going to go in there, and we are going to save that girl. Do you hear me?”

Slowly giving the prince a nod, Ben sighed. “I hear you.” He pulled out his sword, and flicked his head in the direction of the front doors. “Let’s go.”

As he and the prince slowly made their way toward the doors, Ben closed his eyes. _I’m coming, Rey,_ he thought to himself, then Luke kicked the door open with more strength than he’d ever thought he had. _I’m coming._

*

Rey cried out in shock as the doors burst open, and in ran two familiar, sword wielding figures. The first was the older man she’d met at the inn, whose name she was fairly certain she’d never learned, and the second… the second brought a smile to her face as warmth flooded through her entire body. Around her, the familiar silver twinge of her shine filled her vision as she laid eyes on Ben for the first time since the night before. She breathed his name as a sigh on her lips, but her relief was short lived as Snoke sent out a wave of magic that had the two men flying backwards into the nearest wall - more accurately, it shoved the first man back into Ben, and they both tumbled over as a result.

Another shout left her as she watched Ben and the man get up, the latter of the two aided by Leia, who rushed out from the corner she’d been left in to help him to his feet, only to also be shoved to the ground by another wave. The man cried out her name, making Rey wonder how they knew each other, and apparently, Ben was thinking the same thing if the bewildered look on his face was anything to go by.

Immediately Ben and the stranger were rushing toward the warlock, who rushed at them with a cry, brandishing his newly sharpened knife as he rushed down the steps at a speed she hadn’t known he was capable of. Snoke met her lover’s blade with a fury unmatched by most men, snarling visciously as he engaged Ben - a man who had only learned to fence within the past week - in a horrible duel that spanned the majority of the room, and nearly killed Ben at least three times as she watched.

Even when the stranger and Leia grabbed weapons of their own and joined in, all three were still struggling against Snoke, who continually threw Ben’s allies to the floor like they were common ragdolls. The battle raged on despite this, and she watched in vain as the trio tried everything they could think of to defeat the sorcerer. Ben's mother slashed her weapon across the chains binding the animals cages, freeing the creatures from harm, but the warlock was able to dismiss them with a wave of his hand, and the creatures ran harmlessly to freedom out of the house. The other man tried coming at him from behind, and simply found himself thrown into a pole by magic.

The only one who never fell under the magic’s touch was Ben, who wore his mother’s - Leia’s - flower on the lapel of his jacket, which Rey recalled offered him protection from the sorcerer’s misdeeds. He stood tallest in the fight despite being a relatively new fighter, and despite Snoke’s best efforts, he was never vaulted into a glass window or thrown about like a toy. But that didn’t mean he was safe from harm entirely. Rey cried out his name, watching in fear as the warlock shoved him physically to the ground, but he was quick to retaliate.

Without warning Ben took the lightning canister into his hands, and blasted the warlock backwards into the nearest wall. Snoke gave a great shout as he fell, but a sickening crack sounded upon impact that made her think for a moment it was over, and they were safe.

For a few seconds, they were, and Ben wasted no time in running up the stairs to Rey, his hands fumbling with the ties that bound her as he worked to undo each one. She smiled broadly at him as she was finally freed, and rubbed a sore wrist. “I thought you’d left me.”

He took her hand in his. “Never again,” he promised her. “I should have woke you up, or waited. Rey, I’m so—“

There was a violent crash, then a window burst behind them, causing piercing shards of glass to rain over them that Ben used his body to shield her from before he gestured to the stairwell. “Come on! Run!”

Rey didn’t need to be told twice, she let him lift her down from the table, feeling his firm hands on her waist as he led her over to the stairs, and the two ran down them toward the exit, glass windows breaking all around them in a terrifying crescendo of sharp objects. Ben cried out beside her as they ran, and she looked over to see blood dripping down one side of his face. She couldn’t worry about it then, though, their lives were in danger. They needed to run.

They made it halfway down before Snoke appeared in front of them, clapping his hands together wickedly as the glass shards began to swirl into almost a tornado of pure evil around them. “You know, I should thank you, boy,” he said hauntingly. “A shining heart is so much better than a frightened, sorrowful one. Really, I owe you. It’s a shame I have to kill you.” The glass swirled faster as he grinned. “I suppose I’ll have to do it quickly.”

With that, a sudden idea came to Rey as she listened to his words, and stared down at the silver glow lining her body. _What do stars do?_ She didn’t hesitate another moment, she took Ben’s hand, and spun him forcefully around to look at her, doing her best to ignore the cut across his forehead and one of his cheeks. “Ben, I need you to close your eyes and hold onto me.”

“Why?”

“What do stars do?” she asked, taking his face in her hands, and pressing her forehead against his as energy began to thrum under her skin, building inside of her in a pressure that begged release. She waited until she was sure Ben had closed his eyes, then she leaned forward a little more. “ _Shine._ ”

The energy building within her was let loose, and as she leaned forward to kiss Ben, she felt her silver, white light bursting forth from her body, surrounding them both in a glowing ball that immediately dissolved the glass tornado swirling around them before it expanded to make its way toward Snoke. Rey was almost able to ignore it completely as she kissed him, wiping away a drop of blood that made its way down his cheek as her own magic filled the room, snuffing out the darkness with the light.

She smiled into their kiss as she wrapped her arms around Ben’s neck, rising up onto the tips of her toes to kiss him properly as she heard the warlock screaming, then the faint sound of the explosions that signified her work was done. But she didn’t stop shining just yet, no, Rey let herself enjoy it for just a few seconds longer, let herself relish the feeling of Ben’s lips against hers as she did what stars do best. She shone.

It was a while before she finally pulled away from him, and spared a brief glance where Snoke had stood to make sure he was gone before she pulled back and looked at Ben. “Thank you.”

“Why couldn’t you do that before?” he asked curiously as his arms wrapped more tightly around her waist.

“I’d thought you’d left me. I thought I was going to die, Ben,” she explained, gently stroking his hair with one of the hands she’d sling around his shoulders. “I need to be happy to shine, and I love you, you made it easy.”

He gave her a small laugh, then they both looked over to where Leia and the strange man Ben had come in with were groaning as they regained consciousness, and immediately rushed to help them. At least, Rey did, Ben hung back for a moment seemingly distracted by something. “Are you alright?”

“I’m fine,” Leia answered. “Luke? Anything broken?”

Again Rey was wondering how they knew each other, but she didn’t have time to think about it as the man in question dusted himself off. “Not this time.”

Rey breathed a sigh of relief. “I’m glad you’re both okay.”

A warm smile crossed Leia’s features. “We’ve seen worse,” she said, then she froze as her gaze landed on something behind the Star. “Ben.”

The man in question was staring down at something in his hand as he approached them, his eyes more focused than Rey had ever seen them as he looked down at the thing he held like he was hypnotized by it. Upon further inspection, she recognized it as a little, red stone that looked stunningly familiar, but she couldn’t quite place it,, save for perhaps the sudden empty feeling around her neck where her necklace once sat.

Someone else in the room certainly could, though. Leia rushed forward at the sight of it, her hands reaching under Ben’s as she inspected the jewel. He looked at her curiously, as if he’d seen her before, but wasn’t sure where. It was probably in the mirror, when he looked into it and saw her eyes, but of course, Ben being Ben hadn’t caught onto that yet.

“Who are you?” he asked, and it took an eternity before she finally answered him.

“Ben… I’m…” Leia took in a deep breath. “I am your mother.”

His face fell into something unreadable. “What?” he asked, his voice so quiet she almost didn’t hear it.

“You’re my son,” she said, then Ben swallowed nervously as he looked between her and Rey for a moment.

“I found you.”

“I think I found you first,” Leia replied, then she looked at the jewel in his hand. “Ben, do you know what that is?”

Ben shook his head, and the other man, Luke, stepped forward interjecting himself in the conversation. “It belonged to our father, Anakin Skywalker,” he explained, and Rey’s eyes widened as she realized that this man was Ben’s uncle, and if Ben’s uncle was a prince, that made Leia a princess, which made Ben… _holy shit._ “On his deathbed, he gave me one, final quest, to find the ruby, and restore its color. Only then could I become king, but…” He stepped forward, resting an arm on Ben’s shoulder. “Only he of royal blood can restore the ruby, and Ben… that’s you.”

The newly realized prince turned white as a sheet as he looked down at the ruby. “What?” He looked as though he were going to faint, and Rey, thinking quickly, weaved her arm through his, prepared to act as a support beam in the event that he keeled over. She’d supported his weight before, and she’d do it again as long as they were together.

Before she could say anything, though Luke spoke up again, interrupting any thought she had with the news he dropped in a single sentence. “I know you weren’t expecting this, but, Ben…” He let go of his grip on Ben’s shoulder. “You’re the king of Alderaan.”


	13. The King of Alderaan

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It is FINALLY OVER! Thanks so much to those of you who stuck around, I know this one took me a bit more time than they usually take, but it got swept under the rug thanks to a bunch of other projects. This was originally my fifth fic, I now have fourteen. So, nine projects on top of this one... Oops. Oh well, it's complete now, so here it is in all of its glory, and I hope I did this ending justice.
> 
> Also I'll edit this later.

They took the carriage that the warlock had used to take Leia and Rey to the wretched mansion as their method of transport back to the palace in the heart of Alderaan. The journey would be long, and making it on foot was something no one involved quite fancied, and thus they had stolen Snoke’s. It wasn’t like he would be using them anymore, after all, Rey had killed him, destroyed him with the power of her own magic, her own light. 

The thought of Rey’s actions brought a smile to Ben’s face as he held her inside the carriage. His mother and uncle were at present sitting in the driver’s bench, catching up on everything they’d missed from one another over the past twenty years. When they stopped to feed the horses—and themselves— Ben would hear the stories from them, and he would also start to learn what it would mean to become the king of a kingdom he hadn’t even known existed a week ago. 

“What if I’m no good at it?” Ben asked Rey, his voice full of worry as his fingers absentmindedly trailed up and down his arm. 

“Ben, your uncle and your mother both promised to advise you, you’re in good hands,” she told him, turning her head up to press a kiss to the line of his jaw. “And besides, that ruby turned red for you instead of him for a reason. You’re stronger than you know, you have the kindest heart of anyone I’ve ever met, and you’re brilliant when you want to be. If anyone was meant to be king, Ben, it’s you.”

She was right, and he knew she was right, but he was still so nervous. He couldn’t place why he was feeling that way, all he knew was that leaving his life in wall behind, leaving everything he’d ever known was going to be quite the change. It would, however, be an undeniably welcome one. 

All that remained for him in wall was his father, whom he knew would leave the village in a heartbeat to help his son with ruling a bloody kingdom. Neither of them had anything tying them to wall except for each other, and once they were both in Alderaan… Wall would become a distant memory that Ben could leave in the past. 

“You really think I’ll make a great king?” he asked Rey quietly, then she nodded her enthusiastic support. 

“I think you’ll be the kind of king they write stories about, Ben. Loved by all his people, a legend in his own right.” She pulled away from him slightly so she could see him. “And I can’t wait to see the man you’ll become.”

Ben smiled down at her warmly, then he took her hands into his. “But I’m sure this isn’t how you intended to spend your time with me. Ruling a kingdom? That’s a lot to ask of anyone.”

Again she amazed and surprised him, shaking her head as she laced their fingers together. “No, it’s not. I told you, my heart was yours…” She leaned forward, pressing her forehead against his. “You know what I want, Ben.”

“What is that again?” he teased, unable to fight the little smile that grew on his face as Rey pushed him away, and he collapsed into a fit of giggles. “I’m joking, I’m joking…”

“You’re an ass, but for some reason I decided to love you.”

Ben’s heart was soaring in his chest as he sat up, and wrapped his arms around the star, pulling her into a lengthy embrace as he basked in her glow. Despite what she’d just done, defeating the warlock with only the tiniest bit of help from him, it had yet to dim fully, and now that she was back in his presence, there was a consistent silver light shining around her skin casting everywhere she went with a beautiful sort of silvery light. “But you’ll do it? You’ll stay with me, and rule by my side?”

“Together,” Rey replied quietly, then she wound her arms tightly around Ben’s waist, and the two of them sat in silence for a moment. The carriage rocked as they moved over the hillside, the sun already setting to the west as they left day one of their journey behind, approaching the wall as their first stop on the journey back. Ben still had to find his father and convince him to follow him to Alderaan, after all. 

Outside, he could hear the faint sounds of his mother and uncle talking, but he couldn’t quite make out the conversation. All around him he finally felt at peace; there was no longer the stress of constantly trying to impress a woman who didn’t love him, the fear of letting his father down, or just the endless cycle of never ending boredom that came with living in Wall. Of course, he was heading into a new cycle of stress, but at least with this one, he was finally going to be able to do something more than just be a shop boy. He’d actually be able to make a difference in Alderaan, and with his mother and Luke to help him, he was fairly confident he’d succeed. 

“But, Ben?” Rey asked after a moment. 

“Hmm?”

“How would we go about that exactly?” He couldn’t help but notice as she pulled away from him that she was avoiding his gaze. “I don’t exactly know how kingdoms work, or royalty, but I think you’d have to be…”

“You’d have to be what… Rey?”

“Married, wouldn’t we?”

“I think that’s something we can figure out later, but, Rey?”

“Yeah?”

“I would gladly marry you,” he told her, then he reached forward, and tilted her chin up. “You’ve already taken my heart, I suppose you can have my hand as well.”

A giggle escaped them both, then Ben leaned forward, and planted his lips softly over Rey’s as the carriage continued its journey toward the wall, and the end of his journey in the village. They spent the majority of the remainder of their trip to wall in each other’s arms, occasionally sharing long, lingering kisses and soft whispers of promises they wanted to keep, not separating until the carriage came to a halt, and Luke appeared at the door. 

“You ready, kid?”

“As I’ll ever be,” Ben replied, then he turned, and pressed one last, slightly too long kiss to Rey’s lips before he hopped out of the carriage. “I’ll be back shortly.” With that, he ran past the carriage to the break in the wall, hopping over the fallen cobblestones as he rushed toward the village. 

His run broke, however, when he finally came in sight of his house, looking at it for the first time in more than a week. In that tiny fraction of time, so much had changed. Ben had gone from a boy to a man, from a man to a bloody king, and his father… His father was still doing dishes in the kitchen like nothing had changed, but now Ben could see the lines on his face, the weary look that told him he was absolutely exhausted. 

In his chest, his heart ached for his father, tears brimming in his eyes as his feet picked up speed again, and he ran toward the front door. His knuckles banged on it urgently a moment later. Ben supposed he could’ve just walked in, but he didn’t want to scare the man who’d raised him without question for eighteen years. No, he wanted to do this right, and as much as he wanted to just wrap his arms around Han and tell him he was sorry he was away for so long, he needed to make sure he didn’t frighten him to death. 

A moment later, his father appeared at the door, which squeaked on its hinges as he pulled it open, and stared up at his son, his eyes widening in shock. “Ben.”

“Hello, father,” Ben said, then he swallowed nervously. “I’m sorry I was gone for s-”

He didn’t get to finish his sentence. It was cut off by his father wrapping his arms around him, and pulling him close with a strength he didn’t know his old man possessed, his hands firm against his son’s back as he seemed to revel in seeing Ben again. “It doesn’t matter, son, welcome home.”

A tiny sob left Ben’s throat as he returned his father’s embrace, holding him for a moment before he pulled away, and sighed. “There’s so much I need to tell you,” he said as he walked into the house, and his father shut the front door. “I don’t even know where to begin.”

“Well…” his father shrugged, then he crossed his arms over his chest. “Did you find her?”

It took Ben a moment to remember the purpose he’d left his home for the week prior. So much had happened, both his goals of finding the star and his mother has been fulfilled in wonderful, impossible ways, that he'd forgotten he’d simply left with the intent of meeting the woman who’d given him life. “I did, but… Father… there’s more… I need you to come to the wall with me. Pack your things, and follow me.”

“What?” Han asked, staring at him in disbelief. “Why would I pack my things, Ben, I can’t just leave?”

“Father, you know what’s on the other side of that wall, or I wouldn’t be here,” Ben said, placing his hands on either side of his father’s shoulders. “Listen to me. Pack a bag, There’s nothing for us here, but in Alderaan… We have a life waiting for us on the other side of that wall, and…” He could feel the blush spreading on his cheeks. “There’s someone I want you to meet.”

*

It took twenty more minutes, but eventually Ben and his father left the house, heading back down the hillside toward the wall, where Ben could already see the black carriage waiting patiently for him and Han in the dark. “So, you met a girl, realized -  _ finally  _ \- that Phasma wasn’t worth your time, and now you’re the king of the wall?”

“Alderaan, father, I’m the king of  _ Alderaan _ ,” he said with a laugh. “Not the wall, though I suppose the kingdom encompasses that as well, so maybe you’re right.”

His father let out a quiet snort as they stepped over the cobblestones, and Ben felt his heart racing as the door to the carriage opened, and out stepped Rey, sheathed in her silvery glow to light his way home. A smile spread wide on his face as he walked up to her, wrapping his arms around his waist, and spinning her around, receiving a surprised yelp from his efforts before he set her down on the ground, and gave her a brief, but searing kiss. Perhaps a week ago he would’ve felt some sort of shame for kissing her like that in front of all three known members of his biological family, but Ben and Rey had been through enough. They deserved a moment like that, even if it was in front of his absolutely befuddled father. 

They were both smiling broadly as they pulled away, then Ben took her hand, and led them both over to where Han now stood with an amused, but disbelieving expression on his face. “Rey, this is my father,” he said, then he took in a deep breath. “Father, this is Rey, she’s… she’s the Star I was telling you about.”

Han blinked a few times before he gave Rey a warm grin, and extended his hand to her. “When my son said you were a Star, I just thought it was a term of endearment,” he admitted, his eyes scanning the perimeter of her body for that silvery glow. 

Rey chuckled lightly as she took his hand, and shook it firmly. “Your son didn’t believe me at first, either.”

The two of them shared a laugh as they dropped their hands, then Han moved to say something else to her, but was interrupted by the sound of someone else’s voice calling his name from behind Ben and Rey. They both turned around to see Ben’s mother, her face lit up in recognition and relief. Emotions Ben didn’t know how to process rose within him as he watched his father’s jaw fall, and he walked between Rey and Ben to stand before Leia. 

All his life, he’d only ever had his father. It had only been him, Han, and the knowledge that somewhere out there he might have had a mother, but until last week, he hadn’t known anything about her. He hadn’t even known she’d been alive. To see them together like this; it was an impossibility, a vision of a life Ben had always treasured, but never thought possible until that very moment. Vaguely he registered Rey slipping her hand into his as he watched his parents walk closer and closer together, unable to believe that there were actually two of them, that his mother was alive, she hadn’t ever wanted to leave him, and she was standing right there with his father. 

“Leia,” Han breathed, sounding almost winded as he approached her. “You…” A noise somewhere between a scoff and a laugh escaped him. “You look good.”

“Oh, please, I’ve been dragged through mud and put through battle, we both know I look like shit,” she said, causing them both to laugh as she walked up to Han, and placed a hand on his aging face. “You on the other hand, still look as smugly handsome as the day I met you.”

“I could try to argue that, but knowing you, you’ll give me hell for it until I surrender.”

“You only knew me for one night,” Leia said with a laugh, then she sighed as she dropped her hand from his face. “But thank you, for raising Ben… from the looks of it, he’s grown into a wonderful, young man.”

Ben felt his cheeks flush, and he tightened his grip on Rey’s hand as he looked at the ground, pride filling him at hearing his mother’s thoughts. “He has,” Han assured her. 

“I just wish I’d been able to see it.”

“You can now, he’s not going anywhere, and he’s got a long way to go.”

Leia gave him a brief smile, then she sighed. “And I would love to hear all about the last eighteen years I missed, but we need to get back on the road. We’re all exhausted and this is no place to shelter for the night.”

A stupid, Solo grin appeared on Ben’s face as he raised his hand. “I can think of a nice inn not too far from here we could stop at.” The elbow to his ribs he received from Rey was entirely worth it. 

*

The next morning, Ben was there when Rey woke up in the bed. It was, in fact, the same bed they’d stayed in the night before, since they’d apparently paid for two nights instead of one. The others had to pay for separate rooms, his mother and father awkwardly deciding to split one while Luke paid in full for another before they’d all split off for the night. 

That morning, Rey had been the one to wake up first, and Ben was—as a result— awakened to the feeling of her arm wrapped around his waist, her fingers stroking his hair as her warm body was pressed flush against his. It was everything the previous morning should have been, and while he certainly had his regrets and apologies to repeat, he had no intentions of ruining that perfect morning, the first he suspected of many they would have to come.

An hour later they were in the carriage again, bound for Alderaan without another look back at the wall they were leaving behind. Ben spent most of the journey being taught a crash course on his kingdom’s history by Luke, learning vague hints of the proper etiquette, and what would be expected of him as the king, but given that his kingdom boasted magic and his queen was a star, not a human being, something told him it wouldn’t exactly be a conventional time of ruling. 

It became quickly apparent though that they were much further from the palace than any of them had initially thought, and not wanting to spend more than a week on the road, they were quickly forced to come up with a new solution. Luckily, it didn’t take Ben long to remember a ship that was probably still docked lakeside sixty something miles from the wall. A grin rose to his face as he told his fellow passengers his idea, and another day later they were riding skyward on the Millenium Falcon, Poe Dameron’s loud, whooping cheers filling the sky. 

Once they were successfully up in the air, the captain came down onto the deck, greeting Ben and Rey’s entourage properly with a charming smile. “Now, to business, I don’t run a traveling circus, Ben, so why are you in such a rush to get to the palace?”

Ben chuckled, and took a step back as he gestured to the three people Poe hadn’t met yet. “Captain, this is my father, Han Solo,” he announced, and his father stepped forward to shake Poe’s hand. 

“The Millenium Falcon, huh?”

“Yes, sir, I got the name from a very weird and vivid dream, and I just knew it was the right one for my girl,” Poe said, blowing a kiss to the ship’s deck. 

“Well, I like it.”

“Thank you.” Poe’s eyes then fell on Leia, who was already extending her hand to him. “Who’s this?”

“My-”

“Oh shush, Ben, I can speak for myself,” she said, swatting Ben away with her free hand. “I’m his mother, Leia.”

“Nice to see where Ben gets his good looks,” Poe replied, then upon hearing a stern throat clearing from his nearby first mate, he redirected his attention to the third person he had yet to greet. “You look familiar.”

“I’m Luke Skywalker,” the third man announced, shaking Poe’s hand firmly. “Ben’s uncle.”

The captain’s face was an intriguing show to watch as he started to put two and two then three and three together to make four and six, staring between Ben, Luke, and Leia as he processed a series of truths. “Oh, shit… Um, your majesty, I would just like to say that what happens on board this vessel is perfectly legal, I-”

Luke held up a hand. “I don’t care about whether or not your business is legal,” he said. “I care about getting my family home. We have a coronation to plan…” He looked back at Ben and Rey, and added a wink. “And a wedding.”

A sigh of relief left Poe’s lips, then a smirk grew where confusion and bewilderment had once stood seconds earlier. “A coronation… I can help you get there, but that’s about as far as my services extend.” He stepped toward Ben, and rested a hand casually on his shoulder and another on Rey’s. “A wedding on the other hand… I’m a captain, I’m pretty sure there’s some sort of rule somewhere I can marry people… As long as you’ve got rings, no one will be the wiser.”

Ben and Rey both turned beet red, but he quickly shook his head. “I don’t think we’re quite ready for that yet,” he said, then he took in a deep breath, trying to calm himself down. “But the moment we are, captain, you’ll be the first man I seek for the job.”

Another big grin was shot his way. “You’ve got yourself a deal, Solo,” the captain replied, then he clapped his hands together, and turned to address his crew. “Alright, you lazy dogs! Let’s get King Ben on his way home!”

Rolling his eyes at the form of address, Ben took Rey over to the edge of the ship, peering out over the railings to watch as the ship sailed on through the skies toward the heart of Alderaan. 

They arrived at the palace a few more days after that. The five of them welcomed by a very surprised staff and palace guards who were certainly not expecting to see what amounted to the remainder of the entire royal family returning on a trip for which only one man had departed for. Ben had been terrified upon their arrival, but all it had taken was one look into Rey’s eyes for his nerves to fade away, and then their hands joined, fingers lacing through one another as they walked into the palace side by side for the first time. 

**_A few months later_ ** …

On Ben’s nineteenth birthday, he woke up beside Rey again, sunlight streaming through the window of their bedroom near the top of the enormous tower that was their castle. Whoever had built it didn’t seem to realize that he would never be able to reach the stars, and he didn’t need to. Sometimes, on an occasion so rare it was almost unheard of, the stars fell to earth instead. 

A smile rose to his face as he turned over excitedly in bed, ready to wake his fiancé up with a good morning kiss, only to find that Rey was already awake and shining, her hazel eyes twinkling brilliantly at him as she greeted him with a quiet, “Hi.”

“Hello,” he replied, then he leaned forward to kiss her anyway, causing her to giggle against his lips as her arms wrapped around his neck, pulling his entire body over hers like an extra blanket. Not that they needed them, it was spring now, and the weather was starting to turn warm as the time had gone on. 

Still they kissed like they were running out of time, even with the promise of forever they didn’t waste a second of it. Every single kiss was still some sort of magic, and though it still hadn’t been that much time since he’d careened into her life, Ben grew more certain by the day that his heart belonged with her, and hers belonged with his. Despite their trials and tribulations, they had both wound up exactly where they needed to be, in each other’s arms, kissing the morning away like they both didn’t have places to be. 

Eventually, she pulled away, and he groaned as he buried his face in her shoulder, causing Rey to laugh as she stroked his hair. “Come on, Ben, you know we have to be up. Your parents will come bursting in at any moment.” 

All he gave her in response was a groan.

“Ben… Do I need to remind you what happened last time your mother walked in on us?”

That had him moving. In a flash, Ben was rolling off of her and onto his feet. The star laughed at him as he pulled his trousers from the floor, shoving them on over his pants. “Come on, you need to get dressed, too, I do not need my father teasing me about the naked woman in my bed again.”

Rey snorted, but complied, and slid out of the bed, her delightfully undressed body on full display as she walked over to the wardrobe on the far side of the room, and started to dress herself as well. Once they were both dressed, and not a second later - Ben had just finished lacing up the ties on the back of Rey’s dress - the doors burst open, and Captain Poe Dameron walked in with a flourish, causing the prince to roll his eyes as he fastened the clasp of his family's necklace around his neck. He hadn't quite expected it to weigh so much as it rested against his sternum, but then again, he hadn't expected a lot of the things that had come with his new job either. 

“Who’s ready for a coronation?” Poe cried with an enthusiasm unmatched by any other man or woman Ben had ever met. 

Jaw dropping open in shock, Ben was soon smiling as he walked over, and wrapped his arms around his friend. “Captain, you made it.”

“Did you think with my driving, we wouldn’t?”

“Yes,” Finn replied from somewhere behind him as he, too walked into the room, clutching his stomach as though he were still nauseous. “I was fairly certain I’d fall overboard at least five times.”

Poe rolled his eyes as he pulled away from Ben, then he patted his lover’s shoulder as he pressed an affectionate kiss to his lips. “Oh, please, you’re so dramatic, sweetheart.”

“You love it,” his first mate said, then he pulled away. “Well, then, your… majesty?”

“It’s just Ben to you, Finn.” A blush crept up his face, thinking up all the times in the last few months people had addressed him by former titles, which to a former shop boy was the most odd thing he could think of, but people loved to do it. The only people he managed to convince not to were Luke, his mother, and his father, mostly because the last two were too busy catching up on nearly twenty years now of having missed each other.

Rey grinned as she stepped forward, and laced her fingers through his. “You ready to go?”

“I am,” he assured her, then he turned to the others. “Before we go, though, I’d like to thank you both for coming.”

“Oh, it’s not just us, the whole crew is here, too,” Poe promised him, slapping his shoulder lightly, then he clapped his hands together as Ben groaned. The size of the audience his mother had managed to invite for this thing had nearly caused him to faint when he saw the guest list already, but he supposed he owed Poe’s crew a favor. “We weren’t going to miss the chance to see a crown on those gorgeous, black locks of yours…”

The other three laughed as Ben rolled his eyes, and they slowly walked out of the room. “Do you ever stop flirting with people?” Rey asked.

“No, not really,” was Poe’s reply as they walked out into the long corridor toward the grand hall, to where half the kingdom awaited the coronation of their new king. 

Being crowned king of Alderaan was easily the most intense moment of Ben’s entire life, at least, it would be until he married Rey a few months later, but in that moment, sitting side by side with her in the thrones overlooking what must’ve been the majority of the kingdom, he’d never felt anything like it. Hundreds, maybe thousands of eyes stared at him from the many rows of seats, and the balconies lining the room above as Luke - dressed in finer robes than he’d ever seen - placed a crown on his head - which felt heavier than anything else he’d ever carried - and pronounced him the king of Alderaan before stepping back to let the crowd go wild. 

As the crowd burst into cheers, Ben looked out into the first few rows of people to see Poe and his crew cheering triumphantly, holding up proud fists to him and Rey, who returned them as they laughed with delight. His eyes fell next on his parents, his mother and father both rising from their seats to give them congratulations. 

Leia’s smile was warm, her eyes bright as she presented them with a gift, a box holding something that wasn’t at all heavy, but still carried a bit of weight. “My gift to you,” she told them, then her eyes turned to Rey, whose eyes flickered to Ben in confusion. “Both of you.”

“Thank you,” Rey said as she took it from his mother’s hands, then his father laid a hand briefly on his son’s shoulder, grinned down at him almost impishly, and the two of them again took their seats. Once they were sitting again, Ben leaned over the short space between them, and rested a hand over Rey’s, taking in how beautiful she looked in her dress, the golden fabric bringing out the hazel in her eyes, illuminated by the silvery glow she always wore, though she’d managed to subdue it some for the coronation. “What is it?” he asked when he finally managed to stop distracting himself. 

The star squeezed his hand, then she let go of it to use that hand to open the box his mother had given them. She peeped inside, then she burst out laughing, her hand covering her mouth as she shifted in the thick furs she wore over her dress. “Take a look,” she said, then she offered the box out to him, and Ben peered over to see a familiar black candle resting in the box’s velvet confines. He too burst into laughter, then he looked out into the crowd at his mother, who was giving him a grin that bordered on shit eating as she joined the crowd in their applause for the new king and his soon to be wife.

“Are you sure you want to wait to light it?” Ben asked softly, leaning in close as she shut the box, and set the candle down by her side. “I won’t stop you if you want to go home now.”

“Ben, I made my choice the moment I realized I loved you, I’m never gonna leave, you’re stuck with me.”

“So you’ll stay with me, then?” 

She nodded, then her hand rested itself gently on his cheek. “Forever,” she promised, then she kissed him as if the entire kingdom wasn’t watching, the thunderous applause falling on deaf ears as their long reign as the king and queen of Alderaan commenced with loud cheers of pride from their people. The babylon candle lay forgotten by their side, even as they kissed each other’s breath away.

It would do the same even as the years began to pass, as autumns turned to spring and back to winter again, they did not touch the candle, simply choosing to enjoy their time on Earth while they still had it. It wasn’t until their bodies had started to grow old and gray that they even considered the candle again, not until they were both old and gray that they finally walked up to the highest room in the tallest part of the tower, and took the candle out before walking out onto the balcony with a lit match. 

Ben looked at his wife, enjoying seeing her one last time on Earth, his home, before they journeyed up to hers. “Are you ready?” he asked quietly, finding that somehow he thought the years wrinkling Rey’s still joyous face only made her more beautiful. 

Rey gave him a nod, “With you? I’m ready for anything.” 

“Then hold me tight, and think of home,” he said, and this time they both knew what he meant as she pulled him in for another kiss, shining brightly as Ben touched the match to the candle. He then dropped it and wrapped his arm around her waist tightly just as the candle started to burn brilliantly, carrying the two lovers off to the heavens to shine down on humanity for all of time to come.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact I'm on [ Tumblr](https://sand-its-everywhere.tumblr.com/) , feel free to yell at me there or on [ twitter!](https://twitter.com/spacewafflehou1) Till next time, y'all.


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